Des Moines, IA vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Des Moines to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Philadelphia 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 $110,362 in Philadelphia, PA (+$10,362).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($179 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $22,968 | +$7,452 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,909 | +$78 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,440 | +$290 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $2,316 | +$816 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,200 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $10,192 | −$73 |
| Total | $36,962 | $45,025 | +$8,063 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |