Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 11.8% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 19.1% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 19.5% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 26.6% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 25.2% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.7% more in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 4.0% more in Des Moines
The cost of clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Des Moines are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including housing, childcare, transportation, and groceries are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of United States, you would:
pay 1.2% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.15
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.1% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.36
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 19.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$11.94
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 26.6% less for housing
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$108.83
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 25.2% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$11,812.00
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 2.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$15.00
|
|
United States vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.0% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$138.33
|
|
United States 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: November 2025
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