Des Moines, IA vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Des Moines to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Seattle 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 $121,540 in Seattle, WA (+$21,540).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($179 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $26,784 | +$11,268 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $5,405 | +$574 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $4,075 | +$925 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,548 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,500 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $8,826 | −$1,439 |
| Total | $36,962 | $48,138 | +$11,176 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $73 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $82 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $93 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.0 | 39.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 35.0 | 6.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 47% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |