Ocala → Des Moines-West Des Moines
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Ocala to Des Moines-West Des Moines is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.2 to 91.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $55/mo.
- +$11,051
- BLS median salary higher in Des Moines-West Des Moines
- 210 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,199
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Des Moines-West Des Moines
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $55/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $11K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 95.2 to 91.7 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $55/mo ($660/yr) from $1,373 in Ocala to $1,318 in Des Moines-West Des Moines.
Des Moines-West Des Moines leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Des Moines-West Des Moines sits #145 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Ocala is #314/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,051 higher ($58,879 → $69,930). Labor-market size: 110,400 tracked jobs at origin vs 394,120 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Florida at 62 (C, #23/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- Income tax
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Ocala to see what you'd need to earn in Des Moines-West Des Moines to maintain the same purchasing power.
Des Moines-West Des Moines metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026