Overall
Diff -0.6 RPP
Des Moines-West Des Moines vs Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.6% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines.
0.6% less expensive
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA is 0.6% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.1 vs 91.7). A $100,000 salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines buys about the same as $99,375 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.7 (Des Moines-West Des Moines) vs 91.1 (Staunton-Stuarts Draft)
- $100k in Des Moines-West Des Moines ≈ $99,375 purchasing power in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
- Rents drives the gap (-16.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:VA 91.7→91.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × VA
- 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
Staunton-Stuarts Draft
91.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA and Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.6 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 16.5 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 $99,375 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +3.0 RPP
Services
Diff +4.9 RPP
Rents
Diff -16.5 RPP
| Category | Des Moines-West Des Moines | Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.7 | 91.1 | -0.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.8 | +3.0 |
| Services | 84.6 | 89.5 | +4.9 |
| Rents | 84.7 | 68.2 | -16.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Des Moines-West Des Moines 91.7
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 91.1
Goods
Des Moines-West Des Moines 93.7
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 96.8
Services
Des Moines-West Des Moines 84.6
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 89.5
Rents
Des Moines-West Des Moines 84.7
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 68.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines would need to be in Staunton-Stuarts Draft for the same purchasing power:
| In Des Moines-West Des Moines | In Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,688 | $-312 |
| $75,000 | $74,531 | $-469 |
| $100,000 | $99,375 | $-625 |
| $150,000 | $149,063 | $-937 |
$ in Des Moines-West Des Moines = in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.7 → 91.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Staunton-Stuarts Draft more expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.6% less expensive than Des Moines-West Des Moines. The overall cost index is 91.1 vs 91.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Staunton-Stuarts Draft equals $100K in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
A $100,000 salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines has the same purchasing power as $99,375 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Des Moines-West Des Moines and Staunton-Stuarts Draft?
Rents in Des Moines-West Des Moines are indexed at 84.7 while Staunton-Stuarts Draft is at 68.2 (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.