$100k salary, packing up from Lancaster
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 Lancaster's monthly cost
On paper, Des Moines and Lancaster are twins. In practice they live very differently.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
16% cheaper than Lancaster(vs $1,517/mo)
6%
$244/mo more in state tax than Lancaster
vs 3.07% in Lancaster
$6,565/mo
$4 more than Lancaster
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
22% cheaper than Lancaster
vs $384k in Lancaster
737k
vs 559k in Lancaster
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Lancaster actually gets more: 158 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 55 days below 20° here, 25 in Lancaster.
A real upgrade on things to do: 3.1× Lancaster's pace.
55/100
13% lower than Lancaster
vs 63/100 in Lancaster
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
20% lower than Lancaster
vs 97/100 in Lancaster
17
1600% more than Lancaster
vs 1 nonstops in Lancaster
in the same ballpark as des moines:
