Chicago vs. Des Moines
Chicago, IL · Des Moines, IA
Des Moines is 22% cheaper than Chicago overall.
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Home Price
IL: $315,000
IA: $240,000
Monthly Rent
IL: $2,288/mo
IA: $850/mo
COL Index
IL: 114
IA: 89
Median Income
IL: $70,100
IA: $67,200
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Headline insight
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in Chicago has the same purchasing power as $78,070 in Des Moines— based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in Des Moines cost 24% more (-$75,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.
Renting
Renting in Des Moines saves $1,438/month — $17,256 per year. Median rent: $2,288/mo in Chicago vs $850/mo in Des Moines.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, Chicago owners pay roughly $6,615/year vs $3,600/year in Des Moines. That's a $3,015 annual difference.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $70,100 in Chicago and $67,200 in Des Moines. Incomes are similar, so cost of living differences matter more.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 31 minutes in Chicago vs 20 minutes in Des Moines. Over a year, that's 5500 extra minutes (92 hours) of commuting in Chicago.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Chicago to Des Moines, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in Chicago | Equivalent in Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $39,035 | -$10,965 |
| $75,000 | $58,553 | -$16,447 |
| $100,000 | $78,070 | -$21,930 |
| $150,000 | $117,105 | -$32,895 |
| $200,000 | $156,140 | -$43,860 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
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Rent vs Buy
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Cost of Living
Full cost of living comparison tool
Home Appreciation
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Affordability Calculator
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Property Tax Calculator
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Chicago Calculators
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Chicago vs Des Moines: Common Questions
Is Chicago or Des Moines cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Des Moines is cheaper overall. Chicago has a COL index of 114 while Des Moines scores 89 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between Chicago and Des Moines?
The median home price in Chicago is $315,000 vs $240,000 in Des Moines — a difference of $75,000 (24%).
What salary do I need in Des Moines to match my Chicago income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Chicago is equivalent to $78,070 in Des Moines in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
Des Moines has a lower property tax rate (1.5% vs 2.1%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $3,600/year vs $6,615/year.
How does rent compare in Chicago vs Des Moines?
Median monthly rent: $2,288 in Chicago vs $850 in Des Moines. Annualized: $27,456 vs $10,200.
What is the median household income in each city?
Chicago: $70,100/yr. Des Moines: $67,200/yr (Census ACS).
Which city is better for remote workers?
Lower-cost Des Moines typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.
Where does the data on this comparison come from?
Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.
How often is this comparison updated?
Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.
Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?
No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.
Sources & Citations
- Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
- Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
- Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions
City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].
The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.
Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.
Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.
Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.
Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.
Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed .