Des Moines, IA vs San Diego, CA
Moving from Des Moines to San Diego? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $946,365 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs San Diego 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 $119,395 in San Diego, CA (+$19,395).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · San Diego, CA: 44 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 793 sqft in San Diego ($179 vs $631 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | San Diego, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $35,412 | +$19,896 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $5,112 | +$281 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $5,125 | +$1,975 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $3,804 | +$2,304 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,500 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $21,601 | +$11,336 |
| Total | $36,962 | $72,554 | +$35,592 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | San Diego, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 110.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 6.34% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 71 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $6.30 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $946,365 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 9.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $631 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $2,951 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |