New Haven → Des Moines-West Des Moines

Moving from New Haven to Des Moines-West Des Moines shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 104.6 to 91.7 (100 = US average), so a New Haven salary needs to be multiplied by 0.88 to hold the same purchasing power in Des Moines-West Des Moines. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,969/month in New Haven to $1,318/month in Des Moines-West Des Moines - a lower monthly bill of $651, or $7,812/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $78,194 in New Haven versus $69,930 in Des Moines-West Des Moines - a raw gap of $8,264 lower. The Des Moines-West Des Moines labor market has 394,120 tracked jobs against 261,300 in New Haven, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near New Haven and Des Moines-West Des Moines are 139 and 238 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 12.1:1 at origin versus 14.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $17,127/year in New Haven versus $8,306/year in Des Moines-West Des Moines. Our composite verdict - Neutral — Depends on Priorities - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.