$100k salary, packing up from Des Moines
changea dispatch from
baton rouge
LA
30.45°N
91.15°W
Baton Rouge is LSU football, the Mississippi River bending past downtown, and the kind of food (gumbo, jambalaya, boudin, po'boys) that makes you want to lie down after lunch. The Louisiana state capitol is the tallest in the country, a 34-story Art Deco tower that looks more like a Manhattan office building. Cajun warmth runs through everything, with a slightly more buttoned-up daily pace than New Orleans.
the verdict
below Des Moines's monthly cost
Baton Rouge and Des Moines land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,361/mo
7% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)
3%
$250/mo less in state tax than Des Moines
vs 6% in Des Moines
$6,722/mo
$157 more than Des Moines
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$250k
17% cheaper than Des Moines
vs $300k in Des Moines
874k
vs 737k in Des Moines
field notes, weather & such.
187
pleasant days a year, in baton rouge.
Des Moines only manages 151 of those. Warm, not extreme: 25 days clear 95°, vs 7 back in Des Moines.
But the calendar thins out: Des Moines stays 3.1× busier.
50/100
9% lower than Des Moines
vs 55/100 in Des Moines
Closest outdoor draw: Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, 38.6 mi.
75/100
4% lower than Des Moines
vs 78/100 in Des Moines
4
76% fewer than Des Moines
vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines
neighbors of baton rouge on the map of tradeoffs:
compare baton rouge with:
