Des Moines, IA vs Nashville, TN
Moving from Des Moines to Nashville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $455,958 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Nashville 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 $104,606 in Nashville, TN (+$4,606).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Nashville, TN: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 2,193 sqft in Nashville ($179 vs $228 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Nashville, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $21,576 | +$6,060 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,715 | −$117 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,130 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,608 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,200 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $5,231 | −$5,034 |
| Total | $36,962 | $38,459 | +$1,497 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Nashville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 97.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 3.80% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 8.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.52 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $455,958 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $228 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $1,798 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.55% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |