Los Angeles, CA → Des Moines, IA
You'd keep $1,196 more a month in Des Moines
+$14,352 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 126 households moved Los Angeles → Des Moines (avg AGI $67,841). 61 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Los Angeles | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,750 | $7,500 | −$1,250 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,378 | $1,764 | −$615 |
| Take-home pay | $6,372 | $5,736 | −$635 |
| Rent | $2,276 | $1,005 | −$1,271 |
| Getting around | $674 | $533 | −$141 |
| Groceries | $476 | $360 | −$116 |
| Healthcare | $536 | $405 | −$131 |
| Utilities | $298 | $225 | −$73 |
| Everything else | $417 | $315 | −$102 |
| Left over | $1,697 | $2,893 | +$1,196 |
To break even in Des Moines, you'd need to earn
$68,500
Household gross, versus $105,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Los Angeles does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,927
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.2% in Los Angeles, 23.5% in Des Moines.
More about Des Moines
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
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 → Los Angeles →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.