Cost of living comparison
Des Moines is 26.0% cheaper than London.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.5% less in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 10.8% more in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 57.7% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 35.2% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 49.8% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.0% less in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 18.3% less in Des Moines
Expenses including transportation, childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Des Moines.
If you lived in Des Moines instead of London, you would:
pay 8.5% less for restaurants
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.83
£19.40
|
$16.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.33
£7.76
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
£1.85
|
$2.36
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
£1.39
|
$2.06
|
|
pay 10.8% more for groceries
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.07
£1.55
|
$2.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.65
£4.24
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.31
£4.74
|
$3.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.45
£3.34
|
$3.09
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.26
£3.20
|
$4.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.56
£1.17
|
$2.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
£0.57
|
$0.73
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.44
£1.08
|
$1.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
£1.35
|
$1.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
£0.52
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.70
£0.53
|
$1.36
|
|
pay 57.7% less for transportation
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.39
£5.55
|
$3.07
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$258.31
£194.03
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,531.14
£27,440.22
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$35.26
£26.48
|
$11.94
|
|
pay 35.2% less for housing
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.63
£31.27
|
$53.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,834.46
£2,129.10
|
$1,215.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,063.73
£1,550.17
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$263.90
£198.23
|
$115.16
|
|
pay 49.8% less for childcare
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,333.60
£1,752.88
|
$1,357.76
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,892.30
£20,951.19
|
$11,812.00
|
|
pay 23.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.27
£6.21
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.80
£3.61
|
$4.51
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.76
£14.84
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.66
£49.32
|
$66.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.14
£12.13
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 18.3% less for clothing
|
London
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.94
£72.82
|
$56.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.55
£37.97
|
$42.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$114.87
£86.29
|
$90.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.36
£101.68
|
$143.00
|
|
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