$100k a year, no longer in Allentown
changea dispatch from
des moines
IA
41.59°N
93.62°W
Des Moines is the Iowa State Fair every August (think butter cows, deep-fried everything, and the political circus of every presidential cycle), insurance industry stability, and a downtown that's grown into a genuinely good food and brewery scene. The East Village neighborhood is the cool kid pocket. The whole city is bikeable. Friendly, affordable, and chronically underestimated.
in our guides
the verdict
cheaper each month than Allentown
Des Moines is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
30% cheaper than Allentown(vs $1,809/mo)
6%
$244/mo more in state tax than Allentown
vs 3.07% in Allentown
$6,565/mo
$296 more than Allentown
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
17% cheaper than Allentown
vs $359k in Allentown
737k
vs 874k in Allentown
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Allentown gets 157 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 55 days under 20°, vs 32 in Allentown.
A real upgrade on things to do: 1.7× Allentown's pace.
55/100
25% lower than Allentown
vs 73/100 in Allentown
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
9% lower than Allentown
vs 86/100 in Allentown
17
89% more than Allentown
vs 9 nonstops in Allentown
in the same ballpark as des moines:
