same $100k income, fresh start from Pittsburgh
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
more each month than Pittsburgh ran you
Barely costlier than Pittsburgh. If Des Moines pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
14% cheaper than Pittsburgh(vs $1,473/mo)
6%
$244/mo more in state tax than Pittsburgh
vs 3.07% in Pittsburgh
$6,565/mo
$40 less than Pittsburgh
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
34% more expensive than Pittsburgh
vs $223k in Pittsburgh
737k
vs 2.4M in Pittsburgh
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Pittsburgh gets 161 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 55 days drop below 20° vs Pittsburgh's 28.
Lighter on events: Pittsburgh packs 1.7× more into a month.
55/100
20% lower than Pittsburgh
vs 69/100 in Pittsburgh
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
21% lower than Pittsburgh
vs 99/100 in Pittsburgh
17
54% fewer than Pittsburgh
vs 37 nonstops in Pittsburgh
in the same ballpark as des moines:
