City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 300 miles (500 km) from Des Moines, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 375 miles, or about 6 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Chicago, IL to Des Moines, IA takes about 37 min, covering roughly 300 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Chicago has a population of 2,721,914, vs 213,164 in Des Moines — about 12.8× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 88 sq mi for Des Moines.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Chicago | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $995/mo | 32.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $170,700 | 78.4% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $62,378 | 14.9% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 94.0 | 13.2% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 85.2 | 1.0% higher in Des Moines |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 93.3 | 7.5% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 93.5 | 7.2% higher in Chicago |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chicago, you'd need $85,006 in Des Moines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Des Moines, IA is about 15% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% higher in Chicago than in Des Moines. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $68,005 in Des Moines to keep the same standard of living.