$100k salary, packing up from St. Louis
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
less monthly outlay than St. Louis
On paper, Des Moines and St. Louis are twins. In practice they live very differently.
a quick ledger.
$1,268/mo
10% cheaper than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)
6%
$108/mo more in state tax than St. Louis
vs 4.7% in St. Louis
$6,565/mo
$34 more than St. Louis
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
8% more expensive than St. Louis
vs $277k in St. Louis
737k
vs 2.8M in St. Louis
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
St. Louis has the edge here, logging 174 pleasant days a year. Winter shows up, though: 55 days below 20° vs St. Louis's 22.
43% fewer events than St. Louis. The pace eases up.
55/100
19% lower than St. Louis
vs 68/100 in St. Louis
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
10% lower than St. Louis
vs 87/100 in St. Louis
17
72% fewer than St. Louis
vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis
in the same ballpark as des moines:
