same $100k income, fresh start from Des Moines

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Las Vegas, NV cityscape

next stop after des moines

Las Vegas

nv · metro 2.3M

photo: Perry Z / pexels

a dispatch from

las vegas

NV

36.17°N

115.14°W

Las Vegas is the Strip's neon dream, the desert's quiet edges, and a food scene that has quietly become world-class on the back of all those visiting chefs. Red Rock Canyon is 20 minutes from the Bellagio fountains, which is a useful reset button. Pools open in April and parties go until sunrise. Locals know the best restaurants are always one block off the Strip.

metro2.3M

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$37

cheaper each month than Des Moines

Cost barely budges between Las Vegas and Des Moines. Pick this one for the texture of the days, not the math.
landable, recorded on the las vegas entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,731/mo

37% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$500/mo less in state tax than Des Moines

vs 6% in Des Moines

03after rent

$6,602/mo

$37 more than Des Moines

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$451k

50% more expensive than Des Moines

vs $300k in Des Moines

05metro size

2.3M

vs 737k in Des Moines

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

210

pleasant days a year, in las vegas.

Des Moines only logs 151 pleasant days. Heat is the cost: 104 days top 95° vs Des Moines's 7.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 76.3× more on the calendar than Des Moines.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

80/100

45% higher than Des Moines

vs 55/100 in Des Moines

Closest outdoor draw: Death Valley National Park, 66.5 mi.

·walk score®

82/100

5% higher than Des Moines

vs 78/100 in Des Moines

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

133

682% more than Des Moines

vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines

04 · see also

cities that play in las vegas's register:

compare las vegas with: