Software developer · Des Moines, IA
Software developer in Des Moines: $4,916/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median software developer wage in Des Moines at $126,460 a year. About 4,240 software developer jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.97). The 10th percentile is $79,170 and the 90th is $168,180. Pay ranks 121st-highest of 375 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 10.6× a year of one-bedroom rent ($991/mo). Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $4,916 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Ames, about 32 miles away, at $5,429 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$4,916
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$126,460
$79,170 to $168,180
Rent (1 bd)
$991
$1,180 (2 bd)
Employment
4,240
Location quotient 0.97
Pay rank
121st of 375
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
10.6×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, software developer pay of $126,460.
- Taxes$2,794
- Rent$991
- Other living costs$1,838
- Left over$4,916
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $126,460
- Federal income tax
- −$19,597
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$9,674
- State income tax (IA)
- −$4,251
- Take-home pay
- $92,938
- Effective tax rate
- 26.5%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $991
- Groceries
- $360
- Getting around
- $533
- Healthcare
- $405
- Utilities and internet
- $225
- Everything else
- $315
- Total spending
- $2,829
Left over each month
$10,538 gross, minus $2,794 in tax and $2,829 in living costs.
$4,916
Rank every metro for a software developer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Ames, $5,429/mo.
Software developer leftover by city →Best cities for software developers to move to →Software developer nearby
Other jobs in Des Moines
- Registered nurse
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a software developer make in Des Moines?
$126,460 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 4,240 software developer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a software developer in Des Moines?
$4,916 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $991, and pay covers 10.6× a year of it.
Where nearby would a software developer keep more?
Ames, about 32 miles away, leaves $5,429 a month, more than Des Moines.