Des Moines, IA vs Pittsburgh, PA
Moving from Des Moines to Pittsburgh? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $231,356 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Pittsburgh 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 $102,107 in Pittsburgh, PA (+$2,107).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Pittsburgh, PA: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh ($179 vs $132 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Pittsburgh, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $18,324 | +$2,808 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,915 | +$84 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,440 | +$290 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $2,316 | +$816 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,200 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $8,069 | −$2,196 |
| Total | $36,962 | $38,264 | +$1,302 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Pittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 5.09% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $231,356 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $132 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $1,527 |
| 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% | 1.44% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 27 |
| 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 |
| Natural gas / mo | $73 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $82 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $93 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.0 | 39.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 35.0 | 44.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 45% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |