Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 6.4% more expensive than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.4% less in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 12.1% more in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 22.8% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 0.3% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 46.7% more in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.5% more in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 16.3% less in Des Moines
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Des Moines are more expensive than in Madrid. Expenses including transportation, clothing, restaurants, and housing are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 5.4% less for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.10
€15.42
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.13
€2.67
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
€1.87
|
$2.15
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.1% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
€1.46
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.25
€6.17
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
€3.93
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.36
€2.86
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.05
€3.45
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
€1.00
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
€0.87
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.02
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
€1.07
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.86
|
$1.36
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 22.8% less for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.08
€6.03
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.84
€39.06
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,541.72
€32,837.78
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.23
€13.83
|
$11.94
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 0.3% less for housing
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.54
€29.43
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,540.98
€1,312.93
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,118.82
€953.24
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.78
€131.02
|
$108.83
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 46.7% more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$673.20
€573.57
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,119.76
€11,178.11
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 30.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
€3.83
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
€2.73
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.01
€5.97
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.05
€43.50
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€9.95
|
$15.00
|
|
Madrid vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.3% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$98.88
€84.25
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
€35.16
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.49
€91.58
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.44
€106.87
|
$138.33
|
|
Madrid 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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