Des Moines, IA vs Denver, CO
Moving from Des Moines to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Denver 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 Des Moines, IA, you'd need about $114,033 in Denver, CO (+$14,033).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($179 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $22,920 | +$7,404 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $5,079 | +$248 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $4,050 | +$900 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,788 | +$288 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,800 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $9,828 | −$437 |
| Total | $36,962 | $46,464 | +$9,502 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |