Des Moines vs Sioux City leftover
Moving to Sioux City costs you $335 a month
$2,572/mo leftover in Sioux City vs $2,907 in Des Moines after tax and rent ($335 less). −$4,020 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Des Moines leftover
$2,907
a month after tax and rent
Sioux City leftover
$2,572
−$335 vs Des Moines
Compare Des Moines to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Des Moines.
Monthly gap
Des Moines → Sioux City
$335
less / month in Des Moines
$2,572 in Sioux City · $2,907 in Des Moines · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 46 households moved Des Moines → Sioux City (avg AGI $52,739). 116 went the other way. The whole move →
−$335 / mo
| Per month | Des Moines | Sioux City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $7,102 | −$398 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,764 | $1,630 | −$133 |
| Take-home pay | $5,736 | $5,471 | −$265 |
| Rent | $991 | $1,089 | +$98 |
| Getting around | $533 | $547 | +$14 |
| Groceries | $360 | $348 | −$12 |
| Healthcare | $405 | $392 | −$13 |
| Utilities | $225 | $218 | −$7 |
| Everything else | $315 | $305 | −$10 |
| Left over | $2,907 | $2,572 | −$335 |
To break even in Sioux City, you'd need to earn
$91,500
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
+$182
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.5% in Des Moines, 23.0% in Sioux City.
More about Sioux City
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
Sioux City, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,296 and 222 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Sioux City on Sioux City wages.
Sioux City → Des Moines →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Sioux City than Des Moines?
A one-bedroom is about $991 in Des Moines versus $1,089 in Sioux City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $335 a month lower in Sioux City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Sioux City have state income tax?
Sioux City is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Des Moines to Sioux City?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Iowa 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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Des Moines and Sioux City moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.