Seattle, WA vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Seattle to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($750,279 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Seattle 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 Seattle, WA, you'd need about $82,277 in Des Moines, IA (−$17,723).
Livability — Seattle, WA: 48 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,200 sqft in Seattle vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($417 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Seattle, WA | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,784 | $15,516 | −$11,268 |
| Groceries | $5,405 | $4,831 | −$574 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,150 | −$925 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,500 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,700 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $10,265 | +$1,439 |
| Total | $48,138 | $36,962 | −$11,176 |
Side by side
| Metric | Seattle, WA | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.7 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.59% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.1% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.41 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $750,279 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $417 | $179 |
| Median rent | $2,232 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |