Dallas, TX → Des Moines, IA
Moving to Des Moines costs you $147 a month
−$1,764 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 116 households moved Dallas → Des Moines (avg AGI $64,888). 171 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Dallas | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,958 | $7,490 | −$468 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,661 | $1,760 | +$100 |
| Take-home pay | $6,298 | $5,730 | −$568 |
| Rent | $1,263 | $1,005 | −$258 |
| Getting around | $580 | $533 | −$47 |
| Groceries | $392 | $360 | −$32 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $405 | −$36 |
| Utilities | $245 | $225 | −$20 |
| Everything else | $343 | $315 | −$28 |
| Left over | $3,034 | $2,887 | −$147 |
To break even in Des Moines, you'd need to earn
$92,500
Household gross, versus $95,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Dallas does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,861
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.9% in Dallas, 23.5% in Des Moines.
More about Des Moines
Dallas, TX in full
No income tax, endless new construction, and a 1.5% property tax bill.
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 → Dallas →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.