Moving from Des Moines to San Diego
Moving to San Diego costs you $1,302 a month
−$15,624 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Des Moines leftover
$2,893
a month after tax and rent
San Diego leftover
$1,591
−$1,302 vs Des Moines
In 2022-2023, 46 households moved Des Moines → San Diego (avg AGI $61,522). 53 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Des Moines | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $8,516 | +$1,016 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $2,287 | +$523 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $6,229 | +$492 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $2,291 | +$1,286 |
| Getting around | $533 | $650 | +$117 |
| Groceries | $360 | $468 | +$108 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $527 | +$122 |
| Utilities | $225 | $293 | +$68 |
| Everything else | $315 | $410 | +$95 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $1,591 | −$1,302 |
To break even in San Diego, you'd need to earn
$128,000
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
−$2,665
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 26.9% in San Diego.
More about San Diego
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
San Diego, CA in full
The best climate in the country and rents that know it.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from San Diego on San Diego wages.
San Diego → Des Moines →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in San Diego than Des Moines?
A one-bedroom is about $1,005 in Des Moines versus $2,291 in San Diego. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,302 a month lower in San Diego. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does San Diego have state income tax?
San Diego is in California, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Des Moines to San Diego?
Take-home pay is recalculated under California 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.
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.