Chicago, IL vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Chicago to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Chicago 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 Chicago, IL, you'd need about $90,502 in Des Moines, IA (−$9,498).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($208 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $15,516 | −$11,676 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,831 | −$384 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,150 | −$400 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $1,500 | −$708 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,700 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $14,141 | $10,265 | −$3,876 |
| Total | $54,206 | $36,962 | −$17,244 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $179 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |