on $100k a year, leaving Fort Wayne
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
pricier each month than Fort Wayne
Des Moines costs more than Fort Wayne, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
7% more expensive than Fort Wayne(vs $1,187/mo)
6%
$250/mo more in state tax than Fort Wayne
vs 3% in Fort Wayne
$6,565/mo
$331 less than Fort Wayne
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
18% more expensive than Fort Wayne
vs $254k in Fort Wayne
737k
vs 458k in Fort Wayne
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Fort Wayne gets 161 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 55 days under 20°, vs 38 in Fort Wayne.
A real upgrade on things to do: 2.2× Fort Wayne's pace.
55/100
20% higher than Fort Wayne
vs 46/100 in Fort Wayne
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
13% lower than Fort Wayne
vs 90/100 in Fort Wayne
17
70% more than Fort Wayne
vs 10 nonstops in Fort Wayne
neighbors of des moines on the map of tradeoffs:
