Washington, DC vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Washington to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Washington 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $84,672 in Des Moines, IA (−$15,328).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($389 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $15,516 | −$13,476 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,831 | −$486 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,150 | −$705 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,500 | −$1,248 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,700 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $10,265 | −$7,445 |
| Total | $60,023 | $36,962 | −$23,060 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $179 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |