Cost of living comparison

Croatia

compared to

United States

Des Moines vs. Zagreb Cost of Living Summary

Des Moines is 23.6% more expensive than Zagreb.

Restaurants: pay 4.4% more in Des Moines
Groceries: pay 24.6% more in Des Moines
Transportation: pay 20.0% less in Des Moines
Housing: pay 26.2% more in Des Moines
Childcare: pay 85.6% more in Des Moines
Entertainment and Sports: pay 58.0% more in Des Moines
Clothing: pay 13.6% less in Des Moines

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Des Moines are more expensive than in Zagreb. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Des Moines. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.

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Des Moines vs. Zagreb Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Des Moines instead of Zagreb, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 4.4% more for restaurants

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.02 HRK92.32	$17.00	+21.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.34 HRK61.55	$12.00	+28.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.15 HRK20.77	$2.61	-17.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.52 HRK16.61	$2.15	-14.6%
Average			+4.4%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants

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pay 24.6% more for groceries

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Bread 1 loaf	$1.96 HRK12.88	$3.03	+54.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.76 HRK44.50	$6.36	-5.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.05 HRK33.27	$3.56	-29.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.86 HRK25.41	$3.61	-6.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$4.90 HRK32.25	$3.67	-25.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.91 HRK6.00	$1.77	+94.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.81 HRK5.36	$0.65	-20.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.96 HRK6.32	$1.66	+72.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.35 HRK8.92	$1.59	+17.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.69 HRK4.58	$0.75	+7.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.65 HRK4.25	$1.36	+111.3%
Average			+24.6%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries

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pay 20.0% less for transportation

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.64 HRK43.75	$2.93	-55.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$58.40 HRK384.69	$58.00	-0.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,039.69 HRK231K	$26,000.00	-25.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.68 HRK76.94	$11.94	+2.2%
Average			-20.0%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation

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pay 26.2% more for housing

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$34.74 HRK228.84	$57.86	+66.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$885.05 HRK5,830.00	$1,214.00	+37.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$674.25 HRK4,441.39	$912.50	+35.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$164.98 HRK1,086.76	$108.83	-34.0%
Average			+26.2%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing

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pay 85.6% more for childcare

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$490.56 HRK3,231.37	$1,369.17	+179.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$12,823.55 HRK84,470.93	$11,812.00	-7.9%
Average			+85.6%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare

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pay 58.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.50 HRK23.08	$5.00	+42.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.50 HRK16.49	$5.47	+118.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.84 HRK38.47	$7.14	+22.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$52.95 HRK348.78	$71.67	+35.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.76 HRK57.70	$15.00	+71.2%
Average			+58.0%

Zagreb vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 13.6% less for clothing

	Zagreb	Des Moines
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$100.56 HRK662.40	$56.67	-43.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$41.12 HRK270.88	$41.00	-0.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$100.39 HRK661.28	$73.00	-27.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$118.33 HRK779.48	$138.33	+16.9%
Average			-13.6%

Zagreb 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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