Ranked relocation benchmark
Best cities to move to from Des Moines
Ranked by real 10-year net worth math, not a vibe score — every destination is run through the same simulator, scaled from a Des Moines software-engineer benchmark offer ($126.5K).
Top destination from Des Moines right now: Manchester, NH at $41k over 10 years after taxes and cost of living. 8 of 329 destinations beat staying in Des Moines on this benchmark.
| # | City | Net delta | Break-even | Score | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | St. Louis | +$10k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 5 | Buffalo | +$7k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 6 | El Paso | +$6k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 7 | Detroit | +$3k | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 8 | Birmingham | +$520 | Yr 1 | 8.0 | View → |
| 9 | Memphis | -$685 | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 10 | Charlotte | -$1k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 11 | Pittsburgh | -$2k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 12 | San Jose | -$5k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 13 | Charleston, WV | -$6k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 14 | Milwaukee | -$7k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 15 | Oklahoma City | -$8k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 16 | Dubai | -$8k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 17 | Omaha | -$8k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 18 | Cheyenne | -$9k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 19 | Albuquerque | -$9k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 20 | Austin | -$9k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 21 | Boise | -$11k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 22 | Dallas | -$12k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 23 | Cincinnati | -$12k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 24 | Kansas City | -$12k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 25 | Richmond | -$13k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 26 | Providence | -$15k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 27 | Virginia Beach | -$16k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 28 | San Antonio | -$18k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 29 | Baltimore | -$18k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 30 | Tucson | -$19k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 31 | Houston | -$20k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 32 | Raleigh | -$22k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 33 | Hartford | -$22k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 34 | Jacksonville | -$25k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 35 | Philadelphia | -$26k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 36 | Wilmington | -$26k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 37 | Columbus | -$26k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 38 | Charleston, SC | -$28k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 39 | Nashville | -$29k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 40 | Sacramento | -$29k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 41 | Las Vegas | -$31k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 42 | Fort Worth | -$32k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 43 | Boston | -$34k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 44 | Tampa | -$36k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 45 | Cleveland | -$37k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 46 | Portland, ME | -$39k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 47 | Phoenix | -$39k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 48 | Louisville | -$40k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 49 | Salt Lake City | -$44k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 50 | Portland | -$46k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 51 | Abu Dhabi | -$48k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 52 | Burlington | -$48k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 53 | Atlanta | -$49k | Never | 1.0 | View → |
| 54 | San Francisco | -$51k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 55 | Wichita | -$51k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 56 | Fargo | -$51k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 57 | Denver | -$54k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 58 | Indianapolis | -$56k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 59 | Little Rock | -$57k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 60 | Chicago | -$60k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 61 | New Orleans | -$60k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 62 | San Diego | -$61k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 63 | Sioux Falls | -$65k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 64 | Miami | -$66k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 65 | Billings | -$66k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 66 | Los Angeles | -$73k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 67 | Jackson | -$76k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 68 | Zurich | -$77k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 69 | Minneapolis | -$77k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 70 | Washington D.C. | -$79k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 71 | New York | -$85k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 72 | Anchorage | -$88k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 73 | Singapore | -$91k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 74 | Geneva | -$105k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 75 | Bern | -$105k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 76 | Honolulu | -$109k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 77 | Monaco | -$112k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 78 | Doha | -$117k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 79 | Luxembourg City | -$124k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 80 | Sofia | -$132k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 81 | Riyadh | -$136k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 82 | Jeddah | -$136k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 83 | Hong Kong | -$144k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 84 | Kuwait City | -$147k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 85 | Manama | -$153k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 86 | Vienna | -$156k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 87 | Valletta | -$161k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 88 | Brussels | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 89 | Antwerp | -$162k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 90 | Toronto | -$164k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 91 | Tel Aviv | -$166k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 92 | Sydney | -$168k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 93 | Nicosia | -$169k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 94 | Taipei | -$170k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 95 | Ljubljana | -$170k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 96 | Vilnius | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 97 | Melbourne | -$172k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 98 | Warsaw | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 99 | Kuala Lumpur | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 100 | Almaty | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 101 | Astana | -$177k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 102 | Jerusalem | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 103 | Copenhagen | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 104 | Aarhus | -$178k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 105 | Muscat | -$179k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 106 | Helsinki | -$179k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 107 | Tampere | -$179k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 108 | Zagreb | -$180k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 109 | Minsk | -$180k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 110 | Bucharest | -$181k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 111–115 | 5 Australia citiescountry-level estimate | -$184k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 116 | Panama City | -$186k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 117–120 | 4 Turkey citiescountry-level estimate | -$186k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 121 | Budapest | -$188k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 122 | Bratislava | -$189k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 123 | Riga | -$189k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 124 | Kraków | -$189k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 125 | Wrocław | -$189k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 126 | Manchester | -$190k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 127–132 | 6 Canada citiescountry-level estimate | -$191k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 133 | Bangalore | -$192k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 134 | Vancouver | -$192k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 135 | Seoul | -$194k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 136 | Athens | -$194k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 137 | Santo Domingo | -$196k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 138 | Tallinn | -$197k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 139 | Santiago | -$197k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 140 | Prague | -$199k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 141 | London | -$199k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 142 | Bangkok | -$200k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 143 | Chiang Mai | -$200k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 144–154 | 11 China citiescountry-level estimate BeijingShanghaiGuangzhouShenzhenChengduChongqingWuhanNanjingHangzhouTianjinXi'an | -$201k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 155 | Baku | -$201k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 156 | Busan | -$204k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 157 | Incheon | -$204k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 158 | Port of Spain | -$204k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 159 | Colombo | -$205k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 160–163 | 4 United Kingdom citiescountry-level estimate | -$205k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 164 | Tripoli | -$206k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 165 | Kyiv | -$207k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 166 | Johannesburg | -$208k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 167 | Tbilisi | -$208k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 168 | Skopje | -$208k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 169 | Yerevan | -$210k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 170 | Mexico City | -$210k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 171 | Tehran | -$210k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 172 | Algiers | -$211k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 173 | Belgrade | -$211k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 174 | Ulaanbaatar | -$211k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 175 | Reykjavik | -$213k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 176 | Hanoi | -$213k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 177 | Ho Chi Minh City | -$213k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 178 | Sarajevo | -$214k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 179–186 | 8 India citiescountry-level estimate | -$215k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 187 | Edinburgh | -$215k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 188 | Glasgow | -$215k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 189 | Jakarta | -$215k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 190 | Bali (Denpasar) | -$215k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 191–194 | 4 Mexico citiescountry-level estimate | -$216k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 195 | Cairo | -$216k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 196 | Alexandria | -$216k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 197 | Tirana | -$216k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 198 | Buenos Aires | -$217k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 199 | Auckland | -$217k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 200 | Gaborone | -$218k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 201 | San José | -$218k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 202 | Durban | -$218k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 203 | Pretoria | -$218k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 204 | Asunción | -$218k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 205 | Cape Town | -$219k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 206 | Bogotá | -$220k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 207 | Tashkent | -$221k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 208 | Montevideo | -$221k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 209 | Berlin | -$221k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 210 | Córdoba | -$222k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 211 | Rosario | -$222k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 212 | Munich | -$222k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 213 | Harare | -$222k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 214 | Suva | -$223k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 215 | Havana | -$224k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 216 | Tunis | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 217 | Wellington | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 218 | Christchurch | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 219 | Medellín | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 220 | Cali | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 221 | Mumbai | -$225k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 222 | Frankfurt | -$226k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 223 | São Paulo | -$226k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 224 | Manila | -$227k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 225 | Tokyo | -$230k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 226–229 | 4 Germany citiescountry-level estimate | -$230k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 230 | Libreville | -$231k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 231 | Quito | -$231k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 232 | Guayaquil | -$231k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 233–239 | 7 Brazil citiescountry-level estimate Rio de JaneiroBrasíliaFortalezaBelo HorizonteManausCuritibaPorto Alegre | -$231k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 240 | Dhaka | -$232k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 241 | Guatemala City | -$233k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 242 | Baghdad | -$234k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 243–246 | 4 Japan citiescountry-level estimate | -$234k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 247 | Amsterdam | -$234k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 248 | Chișinău | -$234k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 249 | Dublin | -$235k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 250 | La Paz | -$236k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 251 | San Juan | -$236k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 252 | Oslo | -$236k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 253 | Lima | -$236k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 254 | Madrid | -$236k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 255–258 | 4 Netherlands citiescountry-level estimate | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 259 | Amman | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 260–262 | 3 Pakistan citiescountry-level estimate | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 263 | Paris | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 264 | Bishkek | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 265 | Barcelona | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 266 | Vientiane | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 267 | Windhoek | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 268 | Kathmandu | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 269–271 | 3 Nigeria citiescountry-level estimate | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 272–274 | 3 Morocco citiescountry-level estimate | -$237k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 275 | Bergen | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 276 | Trondheim | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 277–279 | 3 Spain citiescountry-level estimate | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 280 | Stockholm | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 281–286 | 6 France citiescountry-level estimate | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 287 | Kingston | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 288 | Caracas | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 289–295 | 7 Italy citiescountry-level estimate | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | — |
| 296 | Gothenburg | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 297 | Malmö | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 298 | Lisbon | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 299 | Porto | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 300 | Beirut | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 301 | Phnom Penh | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 302 | Yangon | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 303 | Kabul | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 304 | Naypyidaw | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 305 | Kinshasa | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 306 | Luanda | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 307 | Dar es Salaam | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 308 | Nairobi | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 309 | Mombasa | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 310 | Addis Ababa | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 311 | Khartoum | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 312 | Accra | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 313 | Abidjan | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 314 | Dakar | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 315 | Kampala | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 316 | Kigali | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 317 | Lusaka | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 318 | Maputo | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 319 | Antananarivo | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 320 | Bamako | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 321 | Yaoundé | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 322 | Douala | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 323 | Brazzaville | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 324 | Mogadishu | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 325 | Djibouti City | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 326 | Asmara | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 327 | Lilongwe | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 328 | Port Moresby | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
| 329 | Papeete | -$238k | Never | 0.0 | View → |
Salary and spend for each destination are estimated from Des Moines's market benchmarks, scaled by role and cost-of-living ratios — not a real offer. Confirm your actual numbers before deciding.
This is a ranked estimate, not your offer
Open the simulator with your real salary, spend, and household to get the actual math.
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