City comparison
Davenport, IA is about 150 miles (250 km) from Des Moines, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 h 15 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 Davenport, IA to Des Moines, IA takes about 19 min, covering roughly 150 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.
Des Moines has a population of 213,164, vs 101,448 in Davenport — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Des Moines covers about 88 sq mi vs 64 sq mi for Davenport.
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 | Davenport | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $890/mo | $995/mo | 11.8% higher in Des Moines |
| Median home value | $155,100 | $170,700 | 10.1% higher in Des Moines |
| Median household income | $59,890 | $62,378 | 4.2% higher in Des Moines |
| Groceries index | 94.4 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Davenport slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 90.1 | 85.2 | 5.7% higher in Davenport |
| Transportation index | 93.8 | 93.3 | 0.6% higher in Davenport |
| Healthcare index | 94.0 | 93.5 | 0.6% higher in Davenport |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Davenport, you'd need $107,165 in Des Moines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Davenport, IA is about 6.7% cheaper overall than Des Moines, IA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% higher in Des Moines than in Davenport. If you earn $80,000 in Davenport, you'd need about $85,732 in Des Moines to keep the same standard of living.