Des Moines, IA → Denver, CO
Moving to Denver costs you $242 a month
−$2,904 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 132 households moved Des Moines → Denver (avg AGI $64,265). 161 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Des Moines | Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $8,281 | +$781 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $2,067 | +$304 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $6,214 | +$478 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $1,490 | +$485 |
| Getting around | $533 | $551 | +$18 |
| Groceries | $360 | $420 | +$60 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $473 | +$68 |
| Utilities | $225 | $263 | +$38 |
| Everything else | $315 | $368 | +$53 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $2,651 | −$242 |
To break even in Denver, you'd need to earn
$104,000
Household gross, versus $90,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Des Moines does now.
The tax difference alone
−$865
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 25.0% in Denver.
More about Denver
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Denver on Denver wages.
Denver → Des Moines →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.