on $100k a year, leaving Des Moines

change
Sarasota, FL cityscape

if you left des moines

Sarasota

fl · metro 262k

photo: Jeffrey Eisen / pexels

a dispatch from

sarasota

FL

27.34°N

82.54°W

Sarasota is the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (the museum is wild, and yes, there's a vintage clown college history), and Siesta Key's beach is regularly named the best in America for its pure quartz sand. The cultural scene is heavy for a Florida city of its size (theater, opera, art museum). Gulf sunsets here are the brochure shot. The food scene has caught up to the city's wealth and the retirees' time.

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$353

pricier each month than Des Moines

Sarasota costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the sarasota entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,121/mo

67% 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

$6,212/mo

$353 less than Des Moines

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

04a house here

$423k

41% more expensive than Des Moines

vs $300k in Des Moines

05metro size

262k

vs 737k in Des Moines

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

Des Moines only manages 151 of those.

93% fewer events than Des Moines. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

59/100

7% higher than Des Moines

vs 55/100 in Des Moines

Closest outdoor draw: Myakka River State Park, 15.9 mi.

·walk score®

96/100

23% higher than Des Moines

vs 78/100 in Des Moines

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

65% fewer than Des Moines

vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines

04 · see also

if sarasota appeals, also worth a look:

see also

myrtle beach

more flight options

turn the page

see also

wilmington

$71/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

pensacola

$369/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare sarasota with:

Myrtle BeachWilmingtonPensacola