Des Moines, IA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Des Moines to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines vs Virginia Beach 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 $105,358 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$5,358).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($179 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $22,344 | +$6,828 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,853 | +$22 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,080 | −$70 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,872 | +$372 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,500 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $10,265 | $10,303 | +$38 |
| Total | $36,962 | $43,952 | +$6,989 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $73 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $82 | $103 |
| Home internet / mo | $93 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 28 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.0 | 49.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 35.0 | 6.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |