Des Moines, IA → Omaha, NE
Moving to Omaha costs you $265 a month
−$3,180 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 206 households moved Des Moines → Omaha (avg AGI $61,704). 254 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Des Moines | Omaha | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $7,422 | −$78 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $1,814 | +$51 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $5,607 | −$129 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $1,100 | +$95 |
| Getting around | $533 | $545 | +$12 |
| Groceries | $360 | $368 | +$8 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $414 | +$9 |
| Utilities | $225 | $230 | +$5 |
| Everything else | $315 | $322 | +$7 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $2,628 | −$265 |
To break even in Omaha, you'd need to earn
$94,000
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
−$887
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 24.4% in Omaha.
More about Omaha
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Omaha, NE in full
A 21-minute commute and one of the most stable job markets in the Midwest.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Omaha on Omaha wages.
Omaha → 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.