Virginia Beach, VA vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Virginia Beach to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach, VA, you'd need about $94,914 in Des Moines, IA (−$5,086).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($187 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $15,516 | −$6,828 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,831 | −$22 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,150 | +$70 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,500 | −$372 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,700 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $10,265 | −$37 |
| Total | $43,952 | $36,962 | −$6,989 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |