$100k salary, packing up from Las Vegas
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
the monthly premium over Las Vegas
Almost a wash on cost. The case for Des Moines is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
27% cheaper than Las Vegas(vs $1,731/mo)
6%
$500/mo more in state tax than Las Vegas
vs 0% in Las Vegas
$6,565/mo
$37 less than Las Vegas
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
34% cheaper than Las Vegas
vs $451k in Las Vegas
737k
vs 2.3M in Las Vegas
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Las Vegas edges ahead with 210 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 55 days drop below 20° vs Las Vegas's 0.
Lighter on events: Las Vegas packs 76.3× more into a month.
55/100
31% lower than Las Vegas
vs 80/100 in Las Vegas
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
5% lower than Las Vegas
vs 82/100 in Las Vegas
17
87% fewer than Las Vegas
vs 133 nonstops in Las Vegas
in the same ballpark as des moines:
