Cost of living comparison

New Zealand

compared to

United States

Des Moines vs. Palmerston North Cost of Living Summary

Des Moines is 29.9% more expensive than Palmerston North.

Restaurants: pay 14.2% more in Des Moines
Groceries: pay 14.5% more in Des Moines
Transportation: pay 22.4% less in Des Moines
Housing: pay 45.8% more in Des Moines
Childcare: pay 93.2% more in Des Moines
Entertainment and Sports: pay 54.3% more in Des Moines
Clothing: pay 10.0% more in Des Moines

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, restaurants, and clothing in Des Moines are more expensive than in Palmerston North. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.

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Des Moines vs. Palmerston North Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Des Moines instead of Palmerston North, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 14.2% more for restaurants

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.42 NZ$24.68	$17.00	+17.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.91 NZ$16.96	$12.00	+21.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.36 NZ$4.03	$2.61	+10.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.01 NZ$3.44	$2.15	+7.1%
Average			+14.2%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.5% more for groceries

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Bread 1 loaf	$1.99 NZ$3.41	$3.03	+52.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.89 NZ$6.66	$6.36	+63.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.12 NZ$12.17	$3.56	-49.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.13 NZ$8.78	$3.61	-29.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.99 NZ$6.83	$3.67	-7.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.07 NZ$1.83	$1.77	+64.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 NZ$1.37	$0.65	-18.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 NZ$1.85	$1.66	+53.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 NZ$2.53	$1.59	+7.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.91 NZ$1.57	$0.75	-18.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.95 NZ$1.63	$1.36	+42.9%
Average			+14.5%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries

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pay 22.4% less for transportation

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.11 NZ$10.45	$2.93	-52.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$70.50 NZ$120.62	$58.00	-17.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,211.80 NZ$38,004.63	$26,000.00	+17.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.92 NZ$32.38	$11.94	-36.9%
Average			-22.4%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation

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pay 45.8% more for housing

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.43 NZ$77.74	$57.86	+27.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$807.70 NZ$1,381.99	$1,214.00	+50.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$663.47 NZ$1,135.20	$912.50	+37.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$64.71 NZ$110.71	$108.83	+68.2%
Average			+45.8%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing

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pay 93.2% more for childcare

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$961.55 NZ$1,645.22	$1,369.17	+42.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,843.04 NZ$8,286.49	$11,812.00	+143.9%
Average			+93.2%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare

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pay 54.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.44 NZ$11.01	$5.00	-22.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.32 NZ$5.68	$5.47	+64.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$17.88 NZ$30.60	$7.14	-60.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$22.69 NZ$38.83	$71.67	+215.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.65 NZ$14.81	$15.00	+73.3%
Average			+54.3%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 10.0% more for clothing

	Palmerston North	Des Moines
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.35 NZ$113.52	$56.67	-14.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$36.06 NZ$61.70	$41.00	+13.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.26 NZ$149.30	$73.00	-16.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.98 NZ$150.54	$138.33	+57.2%
Average			+10.0%

Palmerston North vs. Des Moines - Cost of clothing

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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: July 2026

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