on $100k a year, leaving Fort Collins
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 Fort Collins's monthly cost
Des Moines gives you room Fort Collins doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
36% cheaper than Fort Collins(vs $1,971/mo)
6%
$133/mo more in state tax than Fort Collins
vs 4.4% in Fort Collins
$6,565/mo
$569 more than Fort Collins
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
48% cheaper than Fort Collins
vs $572k in Fort Collins
737k
vs 371k in Fort Collins
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Fort Collins has the edge here, logging 177 pleasant days a year.
46.0× the events of Fort Collins, and the calendar shows it.
55/100
20% lower than Fort Collins
vs 69/100 in Fort Collins
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
9% lower than Fort Collins
vs 86/100 in Fort Collins
17
90% fewer than Fort Collins
vs 169 nonstops in Fort Collins
cities that play in des moines's register:
