Atlanta, GA vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Atlanta to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Des Moines at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Atlanta, GA, you'd need about $92,308 in Des Moines, IA (−$7,692).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($187 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $15,516 | −$6,564 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,831 | −$95 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,150 | −$365 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,500 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,700 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $10,265 | −$268 |
| Total | $44,810 | $36,962 | −$7,848 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |