Moving from Des Moines to Salt Lake City
Moving from Des Moines to Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City costs you $329 a month versus Des Moines. −$3,948 a year.
Who already made this move
The IRS did not publish a large enough Des Moines → Salt Lake City pair for 2022-2023. That usually means fewer than a few dozen tax returns, not that nobody moved.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Des Moines | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,736 | $5,788 |
| Rent | $1,005 | $1,269 |
| All other costs | $1,838 | $1,955 |
| Left over | $2,893 | $2,564 |
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 1,200 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $2,900–$5,450
- Container or pod
- $2,050–$3,850
- Rent a truck
- $1,150–$2,150
Dig into Salt Lake 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
What the move itself costs from where you live now, and how to find a mover you can trust.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Salt Lake City than Des Moines?
A one-bedroom is about $1,005 in Des Moines versus $1,269 in Salt Lake City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $329 a month lower in Salt Lake City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Salt Lake City have state income tax?
Salt Lake City is in Utah, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Des Moines to Salt Lake City?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Des Moines → Salt Lake City move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.