Bismarck vs Des Moines leftover
Moving to Des Moines costs you $441 a month
$2,894/mo leftover in Des Moines vs $3,335 in Bismarck after tax and rent ($441 less). −$5,292 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bismarck leftover
$3,335
a month after tax and rent
Des Moines leftover
$2,894
−$441 vs Bismarck
Compare Bismarck to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bismarck.
Monthly gap
Bismarck → Des Moines
$441
less / month in Bismarck
$2,894 in Des Moines · $3,335 in Bismarck · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$441 / mo
| Per month | Bismarck | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,917 | $7,480 | −$436 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,700 | $1,757 | +$57 |
| Take-home pay | $6,216 | $5,723 | −$493 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $991 | −$93 |
| Getting around | $534 | $533 | −$1 |
| Groceries | $348 | $360 | +$12 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $405 | +$13 |
| Utilities | $218 | $225 | +$7 |
| Everything else | $305 | $315 | +$10 |
| Left over | $3,335 | $2,894 | −$441 |
To break even in Des Moines, you'd need to earn
$97,500
Household gross, versus $95,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bismarck does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,234
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.5% in Bismarck, 23.5% in Des Moines.
More about Des Moines
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Des Moines on Des Moines wages.
Des Moines → Bismarck →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Des Moines than Bismarck?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Bismarck versus $991 in Des Moines. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $441 a month lower in Des Moines. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Des Moines have state income tax?
Des Moines is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Bismarck to Des Moines?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Iowa tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bismarck and Des Moines moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.