Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 4.6% more expensive than Ottawa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.0% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 10.3% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 20.2% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 8.7% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 24.4% more in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.6% more in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 11.3% more in Des Moines
The cost of childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Des Moines are more expensive than in Ottawa. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and housing are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Ottawa, you would:
pay 18.0% more for restaurants
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.99
CA$24.78
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.01
CA$15.17
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CA$2.76
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
$2.15
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% less for groceries
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
CA$3.76
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CA$8.06
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.65
CA$11.92
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
CA$4.85
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
CA$7.91
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
CA$2.63
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.60
CA$0.83
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.63
CA$2.25
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
CA$2.30
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CA$1.52
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
CA$2.01
|
$1.36
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 20.2% less for transportation
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.05
CA$5.58
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.12
CA$133.83
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,444.83
CA$33,683.76
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.82
CA$20.42
|
$11.94
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 8.7% less for housing
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.93
CA$68.80
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,452.55
CA$2,001.55
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,228.71
CA$1,693.10
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.93
CA$163.88
|
$108.83
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 24.4% more for childcare
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$788.18
CA$1,086.07
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,753.32
CA$21,707.29
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 17.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.76
CA$7.93
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.74
CA$5.16
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.95
CA$17.84
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.60
CA$61.46
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
CA$14.87
|
$15.00
|
|
Ottawa vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.3% more for clothing
|
Ottawa
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.82
CA$72.79
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.91
CA$53.62
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.10
CA$120.02
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.91
CA$128.02
|
$138.33
|
|
Ottawa 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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