Compare / Denver to Des Moines
Denver, CO vs Des Moines, IA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $809 a month in Des Moines.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 62.2 points (Denver 146.9, Des Moines 84.7).
Colorado taxes wages at a flat 4.40%. Iowa taxes wages at a flat 3.80%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.9 percentage points, higher in Colorado. The effective property tax gap is 0.80 percentage points, higher in Iowa.
After a move from Colorado to Iowa, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Denver lines up with about $65,016 in Des Moines on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Denver
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,169
- HUD area
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,943
- All-items price parity
- 105.8
- Goods price parity
- 101.0
- Utilities price parity
- 87.9
- Mean commute
- 27.7 min
- Median household income
- $108,046
Des Moines
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,360
- HUD area
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,178
- All-items price parity
- 91.7
- Goods price parity
- 93.7
- Utilities price parity
- 84.6
- Mean commute
- 21.4 min
- Median household income
- $85,446
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$65,016
Salary in Des Moines that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$63,182
Gross salary in Des Moines whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$47,026
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Colorado | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 4.40% flat | 3.80% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.9% | 6.9% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.49% | 1.29% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,969 a year in Colorado and $5,168 in Iowa. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Iowa
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Colorado and once in Iowa. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
WIC
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
School meals
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
LIHEAP
DenverMaybe
Des MoinesMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
DenverUnlikely
Des MoinesUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
DenverLikely eligible
Des MoinesLikely eligible
SSI
DenverUnlikely
Des MoinesUnlikely
| Program | Denver | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Denver
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Denver.
- Denver and San Francisco · rent gap $1,528
- Denver and McAllen · rent gap $1,152
- Denver and Wichita · rent gap $1,126
- Denver and San Jose · rent gap $1,103
- Denver and Little Rock · rent gap $1,048
- Denver and Toledo · rent gap $1,024
- Denver and El Paso · rent gap $1,023
- Denver and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,020
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.