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 | Council Bluffs | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $964/mo | $995/mo | 3.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $153,400 | $170,700 | 10.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $61,181 | $62,378 | 1.9% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.7 | 94.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 81.0 | 86.7 | 6.6% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 94.1 | 94.1 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 94.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Council Bluffs, you'd need $100,316 in Des Moines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Council Bluffs and Des Moines have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Council Bluffs, you'd need about $80,253 in Des Moines to keep the same standard of living.