Overall
91.7
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Cost-of-living indicators for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.7
- Overall RPP
- #252
- of 387 metros
- 84.7
- Rents RPP
- $109K
- $100K national buys
Des Moines ranks #252 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.4 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Michigan City-La Porte
The verdict
Des Moines costs less than 65% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.7, 8.3% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 84.6.
- bottom 35%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 84.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,050 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,701.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Des Moines's overall RPP fell -1.1 points, from 92.8 in 2023 to 91.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.8 to 84.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 3.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 2.0 points from the year before.
Des Moines overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.1 |
| 2009 | 97.2 |
| 2010 | 95.2 |
| 2011 | 94.4 |
| 2012 | 95.5 |
| 2013 | 95.8 |
| 2014 | 95.9 |
| 2015 | 94.6 |
| 2016 | 94.6 |
| 2017 | 93.9 |
| 2018 | 95.5 |
| 2019 | 95.6 |
| 2020 | 93.8 |
| 2021 | 93.4 |
| 2022 | 92.1 |
| 2023 | 92.8 |
| 2024 | 91.7 |
Service-cost relief profile
How Des Moines's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Des Moines: their index is 84.6, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 91.7 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Iowa City, IA, Bloomington, IN, Grand Junction, CO. They resemble Des Moines across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Des Moines's overall index has fallen by 3.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Des Moines vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 35% higher than 35% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Des Moines cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
84.7 RPP
- Services
Services
84.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Des Moines's strongest departure is services at 84.6; rents follows at 84.7. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Des Moines's cost comes from
Metros near Des Moines's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Des Moines (Des Moines, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 84.7
- Michigan City: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 68.5
- Birmingham: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 71.9
- Fond du Lac: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 67.3
- Pueblo: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 71.3
- La Crosse: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 69.4
- Jackson: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 67.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
84.6
Cheap
Rents
84.7
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$91,701
in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,850
$75,000 nationally
$68,776
$125,000 nationally
$114,626
$150,000 nationally
$137,551
$200,000 nationally
$183,402
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
42/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
42nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
IA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA near the bottom of IA's metros
Among the 8 IA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 8
0th percentile in IA
Services prices
#2 of 8
75th percentile in IA
Rent prices
#1 of 8
88th percentile in IA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within IA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (91.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (84.7 here).
Other IA Metros
Iowa City, IA 91.5 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 89.1 Cedar Rapids, IA 89.0 Ames, IA 88.8 Dubuque, IA 87.3 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 87.1
View all IA metros → Cheapest in IA → Most expensive in IA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Des Moines's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Iowa City, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 83.7 · Rents 84.0 Bloomington, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.5 · Rents 85.6 Grand Junction, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 83.3 · Rents 86.4 Corpus Christi, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.0 · Rents 84.9 Waco, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.0 · Rents 83.5 Ocala, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.1 · Rents 86.2
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA's index of 91.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Des Moines
How to read Des Moines's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $109,050 in Des Moines. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 84.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Des Moines head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.7, meaning it is 8.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 84.6, and rents at 84.7. It ranks #252 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,701 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. Conversely, $100K earned in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has the purchasing power of $109,050 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?
Rents in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA are indexed at 84.7, which is 15.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA's overall cost index changed by -3.4 points (from 95.1 to 91.7). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?
The priciest category in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 84.6, 15.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Michigan City-La Porte, Birmingham, Fond du Lac. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA's 91.7.
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.