Des Moines, IA vs New York, NY
Moving from Des Moines to New York? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $727,625 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs New York 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 $121,448 in New York, NY (+$21,448).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · New York, NY: 44 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 1,099 sqft in New York ($179 vs $455 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | New York, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $42,036 | +$26,520 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $5,415 | +$583 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,895 | +$745 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $3,180 | +$1,680 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,600 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $23,496 | +$13,231 |
| Total | $36,962 | $79,622 | +$42,659 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | New York, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 112.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 6.55% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | -1.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $727,625 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 7.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 4.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $455 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $3,503 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.74% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 36 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |