01 · the cities
Boston
Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.
full dispatch→Des Moines
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.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,268/mo
$1,877/mo less than Boston (148%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$300k
$471k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,565/mo
Des Moines has $1,793/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
160 days
151 days
9 fewer than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
55 days
days below 20°F per year
Des Moines has 5 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Des Moines drops below 20°F on 22 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
55 / 100
16.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
17 routes
86 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
737k metro
Boston has 3.7x more events per month than Des Moines.
the verdict
6
Boston
categories won
3
Des Moines
categories won
Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. Des Moines has the edge on money.
run your numbers
How far does your Boston salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works