$100k a year, no longer in Des Moines
changea dispatch from
kansas city
MO
39.10°N
94.58°W
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
the verdict
the monthly cost of moving past Des Moines
Almost a wash on cost. The case for Kansas City is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,502/mo
18% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)
4.7%
$108/mo less in state tax than Des Moines
vs 6% in Des Moines
$6,440/mo
$125 less than Des Moines
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$326k
9% more expensive than Des Moines
vs $300k in Des Moines
2.2M
vs 737k in Des Moines
field notes, weather & such.
170
pleasant days a year, in kansas city.
Des Moines barely cracks 151 pleasant ones.
1.8× the events of Des Moines, and the calendar shows it.
56/100
2% higher than Des Moines
vs 55/100 in Des Moines
Closest outdoor draw: Perry State Park, 48.7 mi.
94/100
21% higher than Des Moines
vs 78/100 in Des Moines
43
153% more than Des Moines
vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines
if kansas city appeals, also worth a look:
