Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Newark Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 6.1% cheaper than Newark.
Des Moines vs. Newark Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Newark, you would:
pay 30.7% more for restaurants
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.75
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.72
|
$2.49
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.0% more for groceries
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.99
|
$2.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.80
|
$4.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.23
|
$3.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.91
|
$3.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.00
|
$4.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$2.01
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.59
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$2.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$1.43
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$1.00
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 20.3% more for transportation
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.72
|
$3.71
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$17,500.00
|
$35,052.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.70
|
$11.94
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 27.5% less for housing
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.67
|
$71.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,536.00
|
$1,161.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,420.25
|
$864.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$172.06
|
$143.28
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 48.7% less for childcare
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,916.50
|
$1,183.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,666.67
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 7.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.17
|
$8.03
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym | ?? |
$63.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.9% more for clothing
|
Newark
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.16
|
$60.68
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$43.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.25
|
$103.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.25
|
$145.78
|
|
Newark vs. Des Moines - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Newark vs. Des Moines
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 Newark. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.