$100k salary, packing up from Lubbock
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 Lubbock
Des Moines costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
8% cheaper than Lubbock(vs $1,384/mo)
6%
$500/mo more in state tax than Lubbock
vs 0% in Lubbock
$6,565/mo
$384 less than Lubbock
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
42% more expensive than Lubbock
vs $211k in Lubbock
737k
vs 360k in Lubbock
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Lubbock has the edge here, logging 186 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 55 days below 20°, vs 7 in Lubbock.
5.8× the events of Lubbock, and the calendar shows it.
55/100
1000% higher than Lubbock
vs 5/100 in Lubbock
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
13% higher than Lubbock
vs 69/100 in Lubbock
17
143% more than Lubbock
vs 7 nonstops in Lubbock
same energy as des moines, different zip code:
