City comparison
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 | Cincinnati | West Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $893/mo | $1,153/mo | 22.5% lower in A |
| Median home value | $192,000 | $266,700 | 28.0% lower in A |
| Median household income | $49,191 | $82,345 | 40.3% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 94.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 91.2 | 86.7 | 5.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 94.1 | 4.5% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.0 | 94.8 | 4.5% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cincinnati, you'd need $99,978 in West Des Moines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cincinnati and West Des Moines have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 5% lower in Cincinnati than in West Des Moines. If you earn $80,000 in Cincinnati, you'd need about $79,982 in West Des Moines to keep the same standard of living.