#10 of 66 for you
Des Moines, IA
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Left over monthly
$2,896
Versus Chicago
+$516/mo
+$6,192 a year
Local pay for your job
$90,057
Local wages run -4% vs national
Where the money goes
One earner filing as a household, at 1 bedrooms.
- Taxes$1,765
- Rent$1,005
- Other living costs$1,838
- Left over$2,896
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $90,057
- Federal income tax
- −$11,427
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$6,889
- State income tax (IA)
- −$2,867
- Take-home pay
- $68,874
- Effective tax rate
- 23.5%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,005
- Groceries
- $360
- Getting around
- $533
- Healthcare
- $405
- Utilities and internet
- $225
- Everything else
- $315
- Total spending
- $2,843
Left over each month
$7,505 gross, minus $1,765 in tax and $2,843 in living costs.
$2,896
What living here is like
- Weather
- 205 sunny days, 85°F in July, 14°F January nights
- Getting around
- Plan on a car per adult
- Average commute
- 20 minutes each way
- Size
- 720k people
- Buying instead
- Median home $252,400 — roughly $1,808/mo with 20% down, tax and upkeep
- Taxes
- Iowa income tax. Sales tax 6.9%, property tax 1.43%.
How it scores against what you said matters
- Money left over
- 78
- Sun and mild weather
- 54
- Access to the outdoors
- 50
- City life and culture
- 52
- A short commute
- 90
Chicago vs Des Moines, line by line
Same job, same household, both tax codes applied.
Open the comparison →Also worth a look
- Seattle, WA$3,406/mo
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
- Austin, TX$3,176/mo
No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.
- Houston, TX$3,159/mo
The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.
- Dallas, TX$3,044/mo
No income tax, endless new construction, and a 1.5% property tax bill.