Des Moines, IA → Los Angeles, CA
Moving to Los Angeles costs you $1,196 a month
−$14,352 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 61 households moved Des Moines → Los Angeles (avg AGI $51,459). 126 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Des Moines | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $8,750 | +$1,250 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $2,378 | +$615 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $6,372 | +$635 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $2,276 | +$1,271 |
| Getting around | $533 | $674 | +$141 |
| Groceries | $360 | $476 | +$116 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $536 | +$131 |
| Utilities | $225 | $298 | +$73 |
| Everything else | $315 | $417 | +$102 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $1,697 | −$1,196 |
To break even in Los Angeles, you'd need to earn
$129,000
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
−$2,927
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 27.2% in Los Angeles.
More about Los Angeles
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Los Angeles on Los Angeles wages.
Los Angeles → 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.