Moving from Des Moines to Iowa City
Des Moines to Iowa City: $370 less leftover
$2,537/mo leftover in Iowa City vs $2,907 in Des Moines after tax and rent ($370 less). −$4,440 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Des Moines leftover
$2,907
a month after tax and rent
Iowa City leftover
$2,537
−$370 vs Des Moines
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 276 households moved Des Moines → Iowa City (about 365 people, average AGI $49,931). 371 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Des Moines | Iowa City |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,736 | $5,118 |
| Rent | $991 | $911 |
| All other costs | $1,838 | $1,670 |
| Left over | $2,907 | $2,537 |
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 Iowa 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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 131 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,650–$3,100
- Container or pod
- $1,100–$2,100
- Rent a truck
- $400–$800
Dig into Iowa City
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Iowa City than Des Moines?
A one-bedroom is about $991 in Des Moines versus $911 in Iowa City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $370 a month lower in Iowa City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Iowa City have state income tax?
Iowa City is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Des Moines to Iowa City?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Des Moines → Iowa City move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.