Cost of living comparison
Des Moines is 30.6% cheaper than Washington.
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Washington, you would:
pay 18.5% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$16.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$9.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$2.06
|
|
pay 24.2% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.88
|
$2.02
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.06
|
$6.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.27
|
$3.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.95
|
$3.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.74
|
$4.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$2.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.93
|
$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.28
|
$1.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.56
|
$1.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.57
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.36
|
|
pay 28.4% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.64
|
$3.05
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$80.00
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.96
|
$11.94
|
|
pay 32.2% less for housing
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.57
|
$58.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,560.23
|
$1,215.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,084.16
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.15
|
$115.16
|
|
pay 59.0% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,326.57
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$51,000.00
|
$11,812.00
|
|
pay 28.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$4.75
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.48
|
$4.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.11
|
$7.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$104.29
|
$66.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.68
|
$14.50
|
|
pay 23.5% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$73.41
|
$47.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.96
|
$41.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.93
|
$90.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$173.48
|
$143.00
|
|
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