on $100k a year, leaving San Francisco
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
under San Francisco, every month
Des Moines is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
60% cheaper than San Francisco(vs $3,146/mo)
6%
$275/mo less in state tax than San Francisco
vs 9.3% in San Francisco
$6,565/mo
$2,153 more than San Francisco
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
76% cheaper than San Francisco
vs $1239k in San Francisco
737k
vs 4.6M in San Francisco
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
San Francisco gets 312 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 55 days under 20° here, 0 in San Francisco.
Lighter on events: San Francisco packs 5.6× more into a month.
55/100
34% lower than San Francisco
vs 83/100 in San Francisco
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
21% lower than San Francisco
vs 99/100 in San Francisco
17
85% fewer than San Francisco
vs 111 nonstops in San Francisco
if des moines appeals, also worth a look:
