| Index | Waveland Woods | Des Moines | Iowa |
| Cost of living | 92 | 89 | 88 |
| Goods & Services | 91 | 91 | 94 |
| Groceries | 98 | 98 | 97 |
| Health care | 83 | 83 | 96 |
| Housing | 92 | 83 | 74 |
| Transportation | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| Utilities | 79 | 79 | 88 |


Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Household | $97,288 | $8,107 | $2,270 | $2,919 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $26.10 | $27.62 | 5.5% |
| Beauty Salon | $45.69 | $51.11 | 10.6% |
| Toothpaste | $4.05 | $4.09 | 1.0% |
| Shampoo | $1.66 | $1.54 | 7.7% |
| Movie | $10.95 | $12.88 | 15.0% |
| Yoga | $20.71 | $19.66 | 5.3% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.81 | $7.70 | 1.4% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.51 | $1.66 | 9.2% |
| Milk | $4.68 | $4.73 | 1.1% |
| Potatoes | $5.16 | $5.26 | 1.8% |
| Pizza | $12.30 | $12.76 | 3.6% |
| Beer | $10.51 | $10.55 | 0.4% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $93.94 | $140.06 | 32.9% |
| Doctor | $109.70 | $153.82 | 28.7% |
| Dentist | $134.62 | $123.15 | 9.3% |
| Ibuprofen | $12.10 | $11.73 | 3.1% |
| Lipitor | $10.77 | $23.61 | 54.4% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $256,147.00 | $326,622.00 | 21.6% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $1,660.94 | $2,480.25 | 33.0% |
| Apartment Rent | $1,339.00 | $1,444.00 | 7.3% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $2.96 | $3.06 | 3.2% |
| Tire Balancing | $68.29 | $65.21 | 4.7% |
| Item | Des Moines | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $148.41 | $220.12 | 32.6% |
| Phone | $191.50 | $195.71 | 2.2% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Spring Hill, IA | 49 | 83 | 17.1% |
| Elkhart, IA | 709 | 88 | 12.3% |
| Carlisle, IA | 4,329 | 91 | 9.5% |
| Dallas Center, IA | 1,744 | 91 | 9.1% |
| Van Meter, IA | 1,436 | 94 | 5.9% |
| Des Moines, IA | 221,968 | 89 | 11.2% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| San Bernardino, CA | 221,910 | 124 | 23.6% |
| Enterprise, NV | 221,693 | 115 | 15.2% |
| Richmond, BC | 222,489 | n/a | |
| Modesto, CA | 222,619 | 127 | 26.5% |
| Tacoma, WA | 223,137 | 126 | 25.8% |
| Des Moines, IA | 221,968 | 89 | 11.2% |