LivabilityCalc
Find Your City
City Dashboard

West Des Moines, IA

Complete financial data dashboard — cost of living, mortgage calculator, salary comparisons, and tax details.Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 · FRED

Cost Index
72
Very Affordable
Median Home Value
$286,300
National: $426,735
Median Rent
$1,194/mo
National: $1,527/mo
Household Income
$84,925
National: $84,532
Population
69,893
Purchasing Power
140
100 = national baseline

Cost of Living Breakdown

Housing Cost Index
67 / 100
100 = national average
Rent Index
78 / 100
Overall Index
72
Very Affordable

West Des Moines Mortgage Calculator

Pre-filled with the local median home value of $286,300 and Iowa's property tax rate of 1.57%.

Salary & Purchasing Power

Median household income is $84,925 right at the national average.

What $84,925 in West Des Moines Gets You Elsewhere

CityEquivalent SalaryDifference
New York, NY$178,107+110%
Los Angeles, CA$200,517+136%
Houston, TX$83,745-1%
Philadelphia, PA$80,207-6%

Property Tax in West Des Moines, IA

Est. Annual Property Tax
$4,495
Monthly Impact
$375
Added to your mortgage
Effective Rate
1.57%
National avg: ~1.00%

Iowa Tax Overview

Tax TypeIowaNational Avg
Property Tax Rate1.57%1.00%
Top Income Tax Rate5.7%~5.0%
State Sales Tax6.94%~5.0%

Compare West Des Moines to Another City

See how far your salary goes somewhere else.

Cost of Living Comparison

See how far your salary goes in another city.

West Des Moines, IA
Loading cities...

Cost Index Comparison (100 = National Avg)

Housing CostsNational Avg: 100
West Des Moines, IA: 67
Rent Prices
78
LC
Reviewed by LivabilityCalc Research Team
Financial Data Analysts · Census & Economic Data Specialists
📊 Data Sources & Methodology
  • Housing & Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 1-Year Estimates
  • Mortgage Rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey via Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
  • Tax Rates: Tax Foundation State & Local Tax Data, 2024
  • Cost of Living Index: Calculated using Census housing + rental data vs. national median (see methodology)
Last data update: March 2026 · Mortgage rates updated weekly · Page auto-refreshes every 24 hours via ISR