on $100k a year, leaving Daytona Beach
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
below Daytona Beach's monthly cost
A near-tie on cost. What separates Des Moines is the life around the numbers.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
29% cheaper than Daytona Beach(vs $1,784/mo)
6%
$500/mo more in state tax than Daytona Beach
vs 0% in Daytona Beach
$6,565/mo
$16 more than Daytona Beach
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
9% cheaper than Daytona Beach
vs $331k in Daytona Beach
737k
vs 722k in Daytona Beach
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Daytona Beach has the edge here, logging 212 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 55 days stay under 20°, well past Daytona Beach's 0.
3.3× the events of Daytona Beach, and the calendar shows it.
55/100
13% lower than Daytona Beach
vs 63/100 in Daytona Beach
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
0% lower than Daytona Beach
vs 78/100 in Daytona Beach
17
750% more than Daytona Beach
vs 2 nonstops in Daytona Beach
neighbors of des moines on the map of tradeoffs:
