Orlando, FL vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Orlando to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($387,733 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Orlando vs Des Moines 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 Orlando, FL, you'd need about $91,300 in Des Moines, IA (−$8,700).
Livability — Orlando, FL: 66 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,385 sqft in Orlando vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($210 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Orlando, FL | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,724 | $15,516 | −$8,208 |
| Groceries | $4,813 | $4,831 | +$18 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,150 | −$1,650 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,500 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,700 | −$2,500 |
| Taxes | $4,915 | $10,265 | +$5,350 |
| Total | $44,108 | $36,962 | −$7,146 |
Side by side
| Metric | Orlando, FL | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.6 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.26% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 12.1% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $387,733 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.1% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $210 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,977 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $38 | $73 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $82 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $93 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 12 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 51.5 | 35.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 35.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |