2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$95,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-4.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,657
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,208
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$551/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

COL 103.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,032
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,740
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,292
Target Market
Destination Location

Peoria, IL

COL 99.6
Gross Parity Income $95,800
Federal Income Tax -$12,246
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,329
State Income Tax -$4,597
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $71,628
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,096

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.2% lower in Peoria, IL than in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, so $100,000 in Des Moines goes about as far as $95,800 in Peoria. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,145 a month in Des Moines and $961 in Peoria, $2,208 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,657 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Peoria. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $551 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,820 in Des Moines and $49,590 in Peoria.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Des Moines-West Des Moines (Monthly) Peoria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,145$961-$184-16.1%
Food & Groceries$366$353-$13-3.6%
Transportation$1,091$1,052-$39-3.6%
Healthcare$377$590+$213+56.5%
Other Necessities$410$332-$78-19.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,997$2,135+$138+6.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$184/mo (-16.1%)
Des Moines-West Des Moines: $1,145/mo Peoria: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$148/mo (-10.9%)
Des Moines-West Des Moines: $1,360/mo Peoria: $1,212/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.96/hr (-4.2%)
Des Moines-West Des Moines: $22.98/hr Peoria: $22.02/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.88/hr (9.4%)
Des Moines-West Des Moines: $20.03/hr Peoria: $21.91/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Des Moines-West Des Moines Median Peoria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,630$81,010+$2,380 (+3.0%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,780$98,290-$490 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,290$79,540+$250 (+0.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,460$130,590+$4,130 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$154,140$155,840+$1,700 (+1.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,840$80,460+$17,620 (+28.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,150$123,730+$22,580 (+22.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,840$173,870+$9,030 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,730$96,530+$5,800 (+6.4%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$75,040$85,090+$10,050 (+13.4%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,980$58,960-$1,020 (-1.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$50,850$56,770+$5,920 (+11.6%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL Relocation FAQs

About $95,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (103.9 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Peoria, IL to Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Relocation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL Overview

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to Peoria, IL: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Peoria, IL to match $100,000 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

About $95,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (103.9 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 99.6 in Peoria, IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Peoria, IL cheaper than Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.2% lower in Peoria, IL than in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.