01 · the cities
Salinas
Salinas is the Salad Bowl of the World, where most of the country's leafy greens, strawberries, and broccoli come from. John Steinbeck grew up here and the National Steinbeck Center downtown is excellent. The Salinas Rodeo is a century-old summer event. The Monterey Bay is 20 minutes west, but the city itself is a working ag town with strong Mexican-American culture.
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
$2,813/mo
$1,268/mo
$1,545/mo less than Salinas (122%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$300k
$562k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$6,565/mo
Des Moines has $1,820/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
335 days
151 days
184 fewer than Salinas
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
55 days
days below 20°F per year
Des Moines has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Salinas. Des Moines drops below 20°F on 55 more days per year than Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
55 / 100
16.0 pts behind Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
17 routes
11 more direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
737k metro
the verdict
4
Salinas
categories won
5
Des Moines
categories won
Des Moines wins on money. Salinas has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Salinas 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