$100k a year, no longer in Birmingham
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
under Birmingham, every month
Des Moines and Birmingham land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
10% cheaper than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)
6%
$83/mo more in state tax than Birmingham
vs 5% in Birmingham
$6,565/mo
$55 more than Birmingham
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
15% more expensive than Birmingham
vs $261k in Birmingham
737k
vs 1.2M in Birmingham
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Birmingham gets 171 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 55 days under 20° here, 4 in Birmingham.
Lighter on events: Birmingham packs 2.0× more into a month.
55/100
10% lower than Birmingham
vs 61/100 in Birmingham
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
1% lower than Birmingham
vs 79/100 in Birmingham
17
15% fewer than Birmingham
vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham
in the same ballpark as des moines:
