Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Italy Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 22.4% more expensive than Italy overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.5% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 6.5% more in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 24.1% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 43.1% more in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 85.6% more in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 47.7% more in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 12.4% less in Des Moines
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and groceries in Des Moines are more expensive than in Italy. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Des Moines. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Italy Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Italy, you would:
pay 10.5% more for restaurants
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.50
€15.76
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.64
€9.91
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.49
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.36
€1.16
|
$2.15
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.5% more for groceries
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.30
€1.96
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.02
€6.83
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
€5.11
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.93
€3.35
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.46
€4.65
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
€0.91
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
€0.99
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.46
€1.24
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.86
€0.73
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
€0.68
|
$1.36
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 24.1% less for transportation
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.83
€6.67
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$44.40
€37.83
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,732.41
€27,888.21
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.32
€18.17
|
$11.94
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 43.1% more for housing
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.45
€26.80
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$740.98
€631.32
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$575.41
€490.25
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$164.94
€140.53
|
$108.83
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 85.6% more for childcare
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$547.22
€466.24
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,750.16
€8,307.19
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 47.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.73
€4.88
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.95
€1.66
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.86
€5.84
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.21
€48.74
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.59
€9.03
|
$15.00
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.4% less for clothing
|
Italy
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.36
€73.58
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.95
€34.04
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.77
€83.30
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$128.92
€109.84
|
$138.33
|
|
Italy vs. Des Moines - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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