Overall
- Fond du Lac
- 91.6
Diff -0.1 RPP
Des Moines-West Des Moines vs Fond du Lac
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fond du Lac is 0.1% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines.
0.1% less expensive
Fond du Lac, WI is 0.1% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.6 vs 91.7). A $100,000 salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines buys about the same as $99,937 in Fond du Lac; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.7 (Des Moines-West Des Moines) vs 91.6 (Fond du Lac)
- $100k in Des Moines-West Des Moines ≈ $99,937 purchasing power in Fond du Lac
- Rents drives the gap (-17.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:WI 91.7→91.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × WI
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Des Moines-West Des Moines
91.7
Cost Index
Fond du Lac
91.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA and Fond du Lac, WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Fond du Lac is 17.4 points lower. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Des Moines-West Des Moines corresponds to $99,937 in Fond du Lac.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fond du Lac
- 93.8
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Fond du Lac
- 91.1
Diff +6.5 RPP
Rents
- Fond du Lac
- 67.3
Diff -17.4 RPP
| Category | Des Moines-West Des Moines | Fond du Lac | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.7 | 91.6 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.8 | +0.1 |
| Services | 84.6 | 91.1 | +6.5 |
| Rents | 84.7 | 67.3 | -17.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Des Moines-West Des Moines 91.7
Fond du Lac 91.6
Goods
Des Moines-West Des Moines 93.7
Fond du Lac 93.8
Services
Des Moines-West Des Moines 84.6
Fond du Lac 91.1
Rents
Des Moines-West Des Moines 84.7
Fond du Lac 67.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines would need to be in Fond du Lac for the same purchasing power:
| In Des Moines-West Des Moines | In Fond du Lac | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,968 | $-32 |
| $75,000 | $74,953 | $-47 |
| $100,000 | $99,937 | $-63 |
| $150,000 | $149,905 | $-95 |
$ in Des Moines-West Des Moines = in Fond du Lac
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.7 → 91.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fond du Lac more expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Fond du Lac is 0.1% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines. The overall cost index is 91.6 vs 91.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fond du Lac equals $100K in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
A $100,000 salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines has the same purchasing power as $99,937 in Fond du Lac. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Des Moines-West Des Moines and Fond du Lac?
Rents in Des Moines-West Des Moines are indexed at 84.7 while Fond du Lac is at 67.3 (national average = 100). Des Moines-West Des Moines has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.