Seattle, WA → Des Moines, IA
Moving to Des Moines costs you $509 a month
−$6,108 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 32 households moved Seattle → Des Moines (avg AGI $69,000). 77 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Seattle | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,375 | $7,500 | −$1,875 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,081 | $1,764 | −$317 |
| Take-home pay | $7,294 | $5,736 | −$1,558 |
| Rent | $1,761 | $1,005 | −$756 |
| Getting around | $493 | $533 | +$40 |
| Groceries | $452 | $360 | −$92 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $405 | −$103 |
| Utilities | $283 | $225 | −$58 |
| Everything else | $395 | $315 | −$80 |
| Left over | $3,402 | $2,893 | −$509 |
To break even in Des Moines, you'd need to earn
$99,000
Household gross, versus $112,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Seattle does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,865
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.2% in Seattle, 23.5% in Des Moines.
More about Des Moines
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
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 → Seattle →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.