$100k a year, no longer in Des Moines
changea dispatch from
gainesville
FL
29.65°N
82.32°W
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
in our guides
the verdict
cheaper each month than Des Moines
On paper, Gainesville and Des Moines are twins. In practice they live very differently.
a quick ledger.
$1,645/mo
30% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)
0%
$500/mo less in state tax than Des Moines
vs 6% in Des Moines
$6,688/mo
$123 more than Des Moines
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$317k
6% more expensive than Des Moines
vs $300k in Des Moines
350k
vs 737k in Des Moines
field notes, weather & such.
206
pleasant days a year, in gainesville.
Des Moines barely cracks 151 pleasant ones.
Des Moines hosts 15.3× more events.
63/100
15% higher than Des Moines
vs 55/100 in Des Moines
Closest outdoor draw: Ocala National Forest, 29.5 mi.
91/100
17% higher than Des Moines
vs 78/100 in Des Moines
5
71% fewer than Des Moines
vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines
if gainesville appeals, also worth a look:
compare gainesville with:
