on $100k a year, leaving Springfield
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 Springfield ran you
Barely costlier than Springfield. If Des Moines pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
2% more expensive than Springfield(vs $1,249/mo)
6%
$108/mo more in state tax than Springfield
vs 4.7% in Springfield
$6,565/mo
$128 less than Springfield
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
12% more expensive than Springfield
vs $268k in Springfield
737k
vs 491k in Springfield
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Springfield gets 170 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 55 days drop below 20° vs Springfield's 20.
A real upgrade on things to do: 2.9× Springfield's pace.
55/100
10% higher than Springfield
vs 50/100 in Springfield
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
12% lower than Springfield
vs 89/100 in Springfield
17
89% more than Springfield
vs 9 nonstops in Springfield
cities that play in des moines's register:
