Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Chicago, IL 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Chicago, IL is 33.4% higher than in Des Moines, IA (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Chicago, IL is 56.9% higher than in Des Moines, IA
Rent Prices in Chicago, IL are 115.8% higher than in Des Moines, IA
Restaurant Prices in Chicago, IL are 43.1% higher than in Des Moines, IA
Groceries Prices in Chicago, IL are 45.6% higher than in Des Moines, IA
Local Purchasing Power in Chicago, IL is 22.5% lower than in Des Moines, IA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 16.00 $ 25.00 $      +56.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 70.00 $ 100.00 $      +42.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 9.50 $ 12.00 $      +26.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 4.75 $ 8.00 $      +68.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 5.00 $ 8.00 $      +60.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 4.96 $ 5.15 $      +3.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.20 $ 2.99 $      +36.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.06 $ 2.40 $      +16.2 %
Markets
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.92 $ 4.06 $      +3.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.60 $ 3.77 $      +45.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.50 $ 2.88 $      +92.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.00 $ 4.01 $      +33.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.43 $ 7.23 $      +33.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.00 $ 6.66 $      +33.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 5.88 $ 9.40 $      +59.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.14 $ 2.67 $      +24.5 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.77 $ 0.90 $      +15.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.59 $ 2.16 $      +36.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.74 $ 2.28 $      +31.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.75 $ 1.21 $      +62.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.36 $ 1.34 $      -1.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.33 $ 2.27 $      -2.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.10 $ 2.89 $      +162.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 14.00 $ 15.00 $      +7.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.73 $ 2.43 $      +40.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.00 $ 4.04 $      +0.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 7.00 $ 16.50 $      +135.7 %
Transportation
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.75 $ 2.50 $      +42.9 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 58.00 $ 80.00 $      +37.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.00 $ 3.25 $      +62.5 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.00 $ 2.25 $      +12.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 20.00 $ 25.00 $      +25.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.12 $ 4.15 $      +33.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,000.00 $ 37,383.69 $      +43.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,437.64 $ 26,997.89 $      +10.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 150.60 $ 160.44 $      +6.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 50.00 $ 55.12 $      +10.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 57.62 $ 56.31 $      -2.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 66.67 $ 76.63 $      +14.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 20.00 $ 13.00 $      -35.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.50 $ 15.00 $      +3.4 %
Childcare
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,369.17 $ 2,308.33 $      +68.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 11,812.00 $ 45,450.00 $      +284.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 51.43 $ 61.53 $      +19.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 41.25 $ 53.75 $      +30.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 90.50 $ 97.36 $      +7.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 143.00 $ 126.54 $      -11.5 %
Rent Per Month
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,215.00 $ 2,432.29 $      +100.2 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 912.50 $ 1,519.32 $      +66.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,750.00 $ 4,620.00 $      +164.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,480.00 $ 2,991.67 $      +102.1 %
Buy Apartment Price
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 201.80 $ 330.00 $      +63.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 201.80 $ 258.01 $      +27.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Des Moines, IA Edit Chicago, IL Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 3,980.77 $ 4,839.35 $      +21.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.61 6.64      +0.5 %
Last update: June 2024June 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:27228