Dubuque vs Des Moines leftover
Moving to Des Moines costs you $81 a month
$2,900/mo leftover in Des Moines vs $2,981 in Dubuque after tax and rent ($81 less). −$972 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Dubuque leftover
$2,981
a month after tax and rent
Des Moines leftover
$2,900
−$81 vs Dubuque
Compare Dubuque to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Dubuque.
Monthly gap
Dubuque → Des Moines
$81
less / month in Dubuque
$2,900 in Des Moines · $2,981 in Dubuque · 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, 66 households moved Dubuque → Des Moines (avg AGI $60,545). 39 went the other way. The whole move →
−$81 / mo
| Per month | Dubuque | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,208 | $7,489 | +$281 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,666 | $1,760 | +$94 |
| Take-home pay | $5,542 | $5,729 | +$187 |
| Rent | $806 | $991 | +$185 |
| Getting around | $496 | $533 | +$37 |
| Groceries | $347 | $360 | +$13 |
| Healthcare | $391 | $405 | +$14 |
| Utilities | $217 | $225 | +$8 |
| Everything else | $304 | $315 | +$11 |
| Left over | $2,981 | $2,900 | −$81 |
To break even in Des Moines, you'd need to earn
$91,500
Household gross, versus $86,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Dubuque does now.
The tax difference alone
−$128
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.1% in Dubuque, 23.5% in Des Moines.
More about Des Moines
Dubuque, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $959 and 204 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
Des Moines, IA in full
Insurance-sector wages against the lowest housing costs on this list.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Des Moines on Des Moines wages.
Des Moines → Dubuque →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Des Moines than Dubuque?
A one-bedroom is about $806 in Dubuque versus $991 in Des Moines. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $81 a month lower in Des Moines. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Des Moines have state income tax?
Des Moines is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Dubuque to Des Moines?
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 Dubuque and Des Moines 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.