same $100k income, fresh start from Toledo
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
pricier each month than Toledo
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
6% more expensive than Toledo(vs $1,197/mo)
6%
$168/mo more in state tax than Toledo
vs 3.99% in Toledo
$6,565/mo
$239 less than Toledo
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$300k
53% more expensive than Toledo
vs $196k in Toledo
737k
vs 600k in Toledo
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in des moines.
Toledo has the edge here, logging 159 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 55 days below 20° here, 38 in Toledo.
1.8× the events of Toledo, and the calendar shows it.
55/100
0% lower than Toledo
vs 55/100 in Toledo
Closest outdoor draw: Rock Creek State Park, 40.2 mi.
78/100
37% higher than Toledo
vs 57/100 in Toledo
17
325% more than Toledo
vs 4 nonstops in Toledo
in the same ballpark as des moines:
