Pittsburgh, PA vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Pittsburgh to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($231,356 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh, PA, you'd need about $97,937 in Des Moines, IA (−$2,063).
Livability — Pittsburgh, PA: 70 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($132 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Pittsburgh, PA | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,324 | $15,516 | −$2,808 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,831 | −$84 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,150 | −$290 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,500 | −$816 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,700 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $8,069 | $10,265 | +$2,196 |
| Total | $38,264 | $36,962 | −$1,302 |
Side by side
| Metric | Pittsburgh, PA | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.09% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $231,356 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $132 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,527 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.44% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $73 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $65 | $82 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $93 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 12 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 39.6 | 35.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 44.1 | 35.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 45% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |