Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Madison Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 17.2% cheaper than Madison.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 19.3% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 17.5% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 30.5% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 34.0% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.1% less in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 12.9% less in Des Moines
Expenses including childcare, housing, groceries, transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Madison Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Madison, you would:
pay 1.2% more for restaurants
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.50
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$2.15
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.3% less for groceries
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.90
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.49
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.49
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.13
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.56
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.69
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.85
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.40
|
$1.36
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 17.5% less for transportation
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.12
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,500.00
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.90
|
$11.94
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 30.5% less for housing
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.85
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,713.42
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,488.75
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$163.91
|
$108.83
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 34.0% less for childcare
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,628.82
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,601.00
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 7.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.50
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.54
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.50
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Madison vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.9% less for clothing
|
Madison
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.33
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.00
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.00
|
$138.33
|
|
Madison 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Des Moines or Madison. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.