Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,970 a month against $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
Learn more

Des Moines, IA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
Learn more

Aachen Living Index

Jump to prices

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Des Moines, IA and in Aachen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Des Moines, IA and in Aachen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,171 per month in Des Moines, IA vs $1,970 in Aachen, rent included.

Des Moines, IA $2,171
Aachen $1,970

A couple spends around $3,236 per month in Des Moines, IA vs $2,925 in Aachen, rent included.

Des Moines, IA $3,236
Aachen $2,925

A family of three spends $4,301 per month in Des Moines, IA vs $3,880 in Aachen, rent included.

Des Moines, IA $4,301
Aachen $3,880

Des Moines, IA costs about 10% more than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Des Moines, IA and Aachen sit above the global median – Des Moines, IA by 60%, Aachen by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$15.93 €14.17

23.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$61.3 €54.5

31.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.36 €10.11

7.57%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.79 €3.37

62.53%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.84 €2.52

3.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.07 €2.73

-16.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$5.16 €4.59

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$5.53 €4.92

6.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.23 €1.09

-26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.90 €1.69

59.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.61 €3.21

-6.37%

Eggs

$4.00 $4.00

$3.60 €3.20

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$14.69 €13.07

-34.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$11.20 €9.96

-11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$21.26 €18.91

-35.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.34 €2.97

29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.30 €2.04

-34.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.17 €1.93

109.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.30 €2.93

11.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.53 €1.36

100.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.51 €1.34

41.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.48 €1.32

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.20 €1.07

82.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$9.99 €8.88

-21.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$6.69 €5.95

121.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.15 €1.03

47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.58 €1.40

95.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.92 €3.48

-55.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$71.7 €63.8

-18.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$5.43 €4.83

-63.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.55 €2.27

-51.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$37.75 €33.58

-47.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.31 €2.06

-59.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.1K €29.4K

-17.91%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.1K $25.1K

$38.6K €34.3K

-34.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$185 $185

$386 €343

-52.16%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$53.6 $53.6

$16.86 €15.00

217.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$47.23 €42.01

48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$37.99 €33.79

67.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$28.03 €24.93

-28.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 $9.99

$15.56 €13.84

-35.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,187 $1,187

$732 €652

62.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$19.7K €17.5K

-39.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$95.0 €84.5

-37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 $42.98

$42.30 €37.63

1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$83.5 €74.2

20.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$132 €118

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 $1,177

$813 €723

44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$589 €524

48.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,505 €1,338

15.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$1,054 €938

32.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$4,479 €3,984

-48.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$3,440 €3,059

-32.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 $3,647

$3,609 €3,211

1.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.96

65.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2%

Aachen

$589 29.9% 32.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1%

Aachen

$330 16.7% 5.6% $20

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1%

Aachen

$268 13.6% 18.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2%

Aachen

$450 22.8% 45.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2%

Aachen

$159 8.1% 1.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9%

Aachen

$69 3.5% 17.5% $15

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4%

Aachen

$106 5.4% 44.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,177 in Des Moines, IA versus $813 in Aachen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Des Moines, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Des Moines, IA versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $330 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

7 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

241,683

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Des Moines, IA Aachen 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, IA
Aachen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Des Moines, IA vs Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, $1,970 in Aachen – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,256 per month in Des Moines, IA and $2,955 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Des Moines, IA and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,171 in Des Moines, IA and $1,970 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,970, than in Des Moines, IA at $2,171. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Des Moines, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aachen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Des Moines, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.