Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Plano Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 8.7% cheaper than Plano.
Des Moines vs. Plano Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Plano, you would:
pay 1.1% less for restaurants
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $17.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.75 | $2.61 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.25 | $2.15 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.4% less for groceries
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.95 | $3.03 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.58 | $6.36 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.63 | $3.56 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.85 | $3.61 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.88 | $3.67 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.68 | $1.77 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.56 | $0.65 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.03 | $1.66 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.31 | $1.59 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.66 | $0.75 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.83 | $1.36 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 25.0% less for transportation
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.83 | $2.93 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $105.00 | $58.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,755.39 | $26,000.00 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.92 | $11.94 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 16.6% less for housing
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $54.17 | $57.86 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,560.57 | $1,214.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,250.00 | $912.50 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $143.16 | $108.83 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 7.8% less for childcare
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,151.88 | $1,369.17 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $18,000.00 | $11,812.00 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 9.5% more for entertainment and sports
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.90 | $5.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.94 | $5.47 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.00 | $7.14 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.50 | $71.67 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.75 | $15.00 | |
Plano vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.2% less for clothing
Plano | Des Moines | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.69 | $56.67 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $38.33 | $41.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $86.25 | $73.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $130.88 | $138.33 | |
Plano 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: June 2026
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