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| ⭐️ Total score | 27 reviews |
| 👍 Quality of life score | |
| 👶 Family score | |
| 🎒 Community score | |
| 💵 Cost | |
| 📡 Internet | |
| 😝 Fun | |
| ⛅️ Temperature (now) | |
| 💦 Humidity (now) | |
| 💨 Air quality (now) | |
| 💨 Air quality (annual) | |
| 👌 Safety | |
| 🤮 Food safety* | |
| 👮♀️ Lack of crime* | |
| 🤝 Lack of racism* | |
| 🎓 Education level* | |
| ⚡️ Power grid | |
| 🌊 Vulnerability to climate change | |
| 💰 Income level* | |
| 🙊 English speaking* | |
| 🚶 Walkability | |
| ✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | |
| 🚦 Traffic safety* | |
| 🏥 Hospitals | |
| 😄 Happiness* | |
| 🍸 Nightlife | |
| 📶 Free WiFi in city | |
| 🖥 Places to work from | |
| ❄️ A/C or heating | |
| 😁 Friendly to foreigners | |
| 🗯 Freedom of speech* | |
| 👩 Female friendly | |
| 🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | |
| 🎅 Startup Score |
| 🌍 Continent | North America |
| 🚩 Country | United States |
| ⏱ Average trip length | 3 days |
| 📡 Internet speed (avg) | 41 Mbps |
| ⛅️ Weather (now) | 🌥 9°C 47°F + 😊 Comfy (68%) = feels 7°C 45°F |
| 💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 17 US AQI 🍃 OK |
| 💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👍 32 US AQI |
| 🔌 Power | 115V60Hz |
| 🧔 Best neighborhood to stay | Downtown Des Moines |
| 🚀 Upcoming neighborhood | Indianola Hills |
| 🚕 Best taxi app* | |
| 🚑 Travel medical insurance |  Safetywing |
| 💸 Tipping | Yes, 15% |
| 💳 Cashless | 💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere |
| 💻 Best coworking space | Gravitate |
| ☕️ Best coffee place | Mars Cafe |
| ☕️ Best alt. coffee place | Java Joes Coffeehouse |
| 🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place | Dunkin Donuts |
| 🚰 Tap water | 👌 Yes, safe to drink |
| ♻️ Return rate | 6% of visitors return |
| 👨👩👧👦 Population | 220,000 people |
| 👨👩👧👦 GDP per capita* | $57,808 / year |
| 👫 Gender ratio (population) | 👨 47% 👱♀️ 53% |
| 👫 Gender ratio (young adults) | 👨 52% 👱♀️ 48% |
| 👫 Gender ratio (nomads) | 👨 83% 👱♀️ 17% |
| 🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed | Yes |
| ⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
| 💻 Online electronics shop | Amazon |
| 🏠 Apartment listings | Craigslist |
| ✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | United |
| ✈️ Best int'l air carrier | United |
| 🏥 Best hospital | Iowa Lutheran Hospital |
| 💵 Cost of living for nomad | $3,417 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for expat | $2,246 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for family | $5,071 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for local | $1,449 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel (median price) | $1,551 / month |
| 🏡 Airbnb (median price) | $2,137 / month |
| 🏠 1br studio rent in center | $1,017 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel (median price) | $73 / night |
| 🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $70 / night |
| 🏢 Coworking hot desk | $243 / month |
| 🍛 Dinner | $15 |
| 🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $2 |
| 🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L) | $5 |
| ☕️ Coffee in cafe | $4 |
| 👩🏫 International school | $8,000 / year |
| 📱 Mobile data (~10GB) | $22 / month |
| 🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi) | $4 / trip |
| 💰 Estimated tax on $50,000 | $12,352 |
| 💰 Estimated tax on $100,000 | $30,278 |
| 💰 Estimated tax on $250,000 | $71,127 |
✅ Pretty safe
✅ Fast internet
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ Very easy to do business
✅ High quality of education
✅ Great hospitals
✅ Roads are very safe
✅ Great freedom of speech
✅ Democratic
✅ Everyone speaks English
✅ Very safe for women
✅ Family friendly
✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+
✅ Not many people smoke tobacco
❌ Too expensive
❌ Not much to do
❌ Cold now
❌ Gets very cold in the winter
❌ Difficult to make friends
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Feels | 27-3° freezing | 12-11° freezing | 489° cold | 5513° cool | 6418° cool | 8228° warm | 8228° warm | 8127° warm | 7725° warm | 7021° mild | 457° cold | 362° cold |
| Real | 31-1° freezing | 20-7° freezing | 5111° cool | 5714° cool | 6418° cool | 8429° very warm | 8329° very warm | 8228° very warm | 7725° warm | 6820° mild | 489° cold | 405° very cold |
| Humidity | nice 41% | nice 36% | nice 33% | too dry 27% | nice 31% | nice 33% | nice 36% | nice 36% | nice 32% | nice 37% | too dry 30% | nice 31% |
| Most common | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☔️ Rain | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear | ☀️ Clear |
| Rain | dry 22mm | dry 17mm | rainy 61mm | dry 18mm | rainy 65mm | dry 40mm | rainy 60mm | dry 40mm | dry 23mm | rainy 93mm | dry 30mm | dry 23mm |
| Cloud | pockets 39% | pockets 40% | pockets 34% | pockets 30% | pockets 47% | pockets 25% | pockets 25% | pockets 21% | pockets 13% | pockets 36% | pockets 28% | pockets 28% |
| Air quality | clean 33 US AQI | clean 39 US AQI | clean 31 US AQI | clean 31 US AQI | clean 32 US AQI | clean 33 US AQI | clean 36 US AQI | clean 33 US AQI | clean 31 US AQI | clean 22 US AQI | clean 30 US AQI | clean 34 US AQI |
| Sun | safe 1 UVI | safe 2 UVI | seek shade 4 UVI | seek shade 5 UVI | seek shade 5 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 8 UVI | avoid sun 8 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI | seek shade 4 UVI | safe 2 UVI | safe 2 UVI |
| Remote workers | 229 people | 200 people | 333 people | 267 people | 250 people | 450 people | 280 people | 257 people | 257 people | 343 people | 350 people | 200 people |
If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomad List's Climate Finder
Based on Des Moines's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 8° 46° 8° 46°AQI 34✈️12min$3,746 / mo38Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 7° 45° 7° 45°AQI 37✈️13min$3,310 / mo49Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 7° 45° 8° 46°AQI 38✈️14min$3,897 / mo41Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 8° 46° 9° 48°AQI 13✈️16min$4,173 / mo55Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 7° 45° 9° 48°AQI 23✈️16min$4,046 / mo56Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 8° 46° 9° 48°AQI 21✈️18min$3,452 / mo77Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 7° 45° 9° 49°AQI 23✈️20min$3,447 / mo44Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 10° 50° 10° 50°AQI 45✈️20min$3,176 / mo38Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 7° 45° 7° 44°AQI 23✈️21min$3,553 / mo45Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 8° 46° 9° 47°AQI 9✈️22min$3,279 / mo70Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 6° 43° 6° 42°AQI 19✈️23min$3,495 / mo46Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 8° 46° 10° 50°AQI 51😷✈️23min$3,616 / mo92Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 8° 46° 10° 50°AQI 51😷✈️23min$3,616 / mo92MbpsI've been living in the Twin Cities (Saint Paul to be exact but I'm often in Mpls too) for about 8 months now. It really is a hidden gem in North America. Possibly one of the last major metropolitan areas in the US where housing is still relatively affordable if you have a good job. Lots of music venues and outdoorsy culture. It's colder than you can even imagine in the winter but that's a fun experience. Shoulder seasons are short, and summer is hot and muggy. Good food.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40°AQI 18✈️30min$4,292 / mo43Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 28° 82° 26° 79°AQI 20✈️3h$4,934 / mo38Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 7° 45° 9° 48°AQI 27✈️27min$3,184 / mo51MbpsI grew up in Chicago and still return fairly often. I love the character of the different neighborhoods, the variety of architectural styles, and as others have said, the food scene is incredible. It's easy to make friends in the suburbs, perhaps not so much in the city itself. I have never witnessed racial tension here, and have been pleasantly surprised by the interracial friendliness I have observed. There are a wonderful selection of forests and parks just about everywhere, and the museu
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 6° 43° 8° 46°AQI 54😷✈️40min$4,472 / mo69MbpsNew York is cool. I’ve visited multiple times to see my family throughout my life, and recently came back from my first post-COVID trip there. Yes, it’s very expensive — but there is no city on earth that’s more captivating in my opinion. I used to think that New Yorkers were smug by claiming that NYC was better than everywhere else, but now I totally get it lol. My personal favourite neighbourhood is the Upper East Side, which is where you’ll find the coveted Museum Mile. But I also
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 11° 52° 11° 52°AQI 58😷✈️2h$7,576 / mo130MbpsHow did SF get scored #98 on Nomad score? I agree with most of the reviews posted here. I generally work from home, but we recently rented a small conference room for a meeting. It was $250 per hour.. (yes Per Hour... no typos here).
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 12° 54° 12° 53°AQI 22✈️3h$5,653 / mo102MbpsI find it difficult to understand what people see in this city. The cost to benefit ratio is just so terribly bad! This is by far the most expensive city in Europe (especially in terms of rent), with hardly anything to offer in comparision with other cities like Barcelona, Lisbon or Warsaw. The weather is just average, with cold and windy winters and mediocre summers. It's difficult to come by restaurants that offer anything other than Indian fast food for a decent price - most places are just u
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°AQI 17✈️9h$5,965 / mo28MbpsMelbourne is a fun and cute compact city. There are so many fun things to do here such as visit is beaches, go to its theme parks out of the CBD area. Its city CBD is so much fun as well. You can visit the Queen Victoria market which is the largest outdoors market in the world! You can also visit Federation Square which is a beautiful park on the edge of the CBD, and you can visit the Eureka Skydeck and Australia 108 which are the tallest buildings in Australia if you exclude the antenna from th
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 15° 59° 15° 59°AQI 18✈️20h$3,599 / mo23MbpsDecember 2022: Nairobi is a city less walkable than Bangkok, worse infrastructure than the Eastern European province, a non-service culture that would rival Germany, WiFi & 3G/4G like in rural Kyrgyzstan (the kind of where you walk with your phone in your stretched out hand)…. All of that you get for almost US-level prices. Nah, I didn’t have a good time. It feels utterly derelict and careless. Zero things to do except paying through your nose for Safari stuff. Although the people are ver
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 22° 72° 22° 71°AQI 137😷✈️18h$1,399 / mo10MbpsI lived in Beijing for almost 3 years from 2014-2017. It's an incredible city with a lot to offer. It's an imposing place and not the most welcoming, but that's because it takes time to adjust. In a nutshell: beautiful parks, very modern infrastructure , friendly people, good transportation (the subway is FAR superior to London or NYC, for example), amazing food, relatively cheap, extremely safe, loads to do, incredible history. The one major con is the air pollution—it can get really bad, so
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 5° 41° 6° 43°AQI 162😷✈️14h$2,487 / mo4MbpsDid the previous reviewer say world class art and culture? Where would this be because after 2 years there, I was craving art and culture. Like, my experience is the polar opposite so unless art includes street statues that happen a month of each year and if by culture meaning you run into a single black guy on the street, I don't get it. It's really white, very few Hispanics, almost no blacks and few Asians. No museums (outside of historical ones). Most of the Mormons live in Provo if that
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌨 Feels -1° 30° 0° 32°AQI 29✈️2h$3,342 / mo44Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 7° 45° 9° 48°AQI 23✈️16min$4,046 / mo🌇 Also went here44 peopleI've been living in the Twin Cities (Saint Paul to be exact but I'm often in Mpls too) for about 8 months now. It really is a hidden gem in North America. Possibly one of the last major metropolitan areas in the US where housing is still relatively affordable if you have a good job. Lots of music venues and outdoorsy culture. It's colder than you can even imagine in the winter but that's a fun experience. Shoulder seasons are short, and summer is hot and muggy. Good food.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40°AQI 18✈️30min$4,292 / mo🌇 Also went here64 peopleI grew up in Chicago and still return fairly often. I love the character of the different neighborhoods, the variety of architectural styles, and as others have said, the food scene is incredible. It's easy to make friends in the suburbs, perhaps not so much in the city itself. I have never witnessed racial tension here, and have been pleasantly surprised by the interracial friendliness I have observed. There are a wonderful selection of forests and parks just about everywhere, and the museu
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 6° 43° 8° 46°AQI 54😷✈️40min$4,472 / mo🌇 Also went here67 peopleOverall, a pretty great place. Good restaurants and many breweries. Solid entertainment. It has all four seasons and lots of sunshine. Some homelessness issues downtown, like most cities.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌨 Feels -1° 30° 1° 34°AQI 32✈️1h$3,881 / mo🌇 Also went here69 peopleI really enjoyed my trip to DC for one week. I did NOT feel comfortable walking around many places alone because there are a lot of mentally ill/drugged out people. During daylight with other people I felt fine. There are soo many restaurants, interesting boutique gyms, cool libraries and more. The variety you can find in DC is closer to NYC than you can find most places. The memorials are pretty cool. There are a lot of free museums which are impressive. I liked the Lincoln Memorial/Gettysburg
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 13° 55° 13° 55°AQI 31✈️2h$5,001 / mo🌇 Also went here62 peopleDid the previous reviewer say world class art and culture? Where would this be because after 2 years there, I was craving art and culture. Like, my experience is the polar opposite so unless art includes street statues that happen a month of each year and if by culture meaning you run into a single black guy on the street, I don't get it. It's really white, very few Hispanics, almost no blacks and few Asians. No museums (outside of historical ones). Most of the Mormons live in Provo if that
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌨 Feels -1° 30° 0° 32°AQI 29✈️2h$3,342 / mo🌇 Also went here47 peopleI don’t recommend living here full time. The summers are unbearably hot and humid and you have to drive 1+ hours to the closest beach. Actually, you have to drive everywhere because everything is a 20+ min drive. Traffic is terrible and everything is under construction. There are lots of bugs, mosquitos, gators, roaches, etc… You can be here for months and not do all the different entertainment, restaurants, experiences the Orlando area has to offer. Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland, Fu
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°AQI 21✈️2h$4,336 / mo🌇 Also went here54 peopleDirty. Hospital system is atrocious. Its like having a bunch of shiny glossy hospitals with poorly educated doctors everywhere. Most people end up going to 'Quickcare ER' places that are plastered all over town. Lets put it this way... The school system fast tracks people to become teachers in almost no time at all & they still quit in droves all the time because kids are out of control. Las Vegas desperately tries to buy status & sophistication but its always cartoony and not organic. Its a tow
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 13° 55° 13° 55°AQI 36✈️3h$4,506 / mo🌇 Also went here51 peopleHow did SF get scored #98 on Nomad score? I agree with most of the reviews posted here. I generally work from home, but we recently rented a small conference room for a meeting. It was $250 per hour.. (yes Per Hour... no typos here).
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 12° 54° 12° 53°AQI 22✈️3h$5,653 / mo🌇 Also went here43 peopleI find it difficult to understand what people see in this city. The cost to benefit ratio is just so terribly bad! This is by far the most expensive city in Europe (especially in terms of rent), with hardly anything to offer in comparision with other cities like Barcelona, Lisbon or Warsaw. The weather is just average, with cold and windy winters and mediocre summers. It's difficult to come by restaurants that offer anything other than Indian fast food for a decent price - most places are just u
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°AQI 17✈️9h$5,965 / mo🌇 Also went here45 peopleChiang Mai has had a deep Buddhist influence running over the last 1,000 years and this can be felt in the helpfulness, patience and generosity of the Thai and long-term transplants you come across. The city has an active community scene (nomads, spiritual seekers, hikers, creatives), several mountains with hiking spots and waterfalls surrounding the city, over 20 water bodies inside the city -- many have cafes and walks around, several public parks, and over 13 national parks with campgrounds w
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 31° 88° 28° 82°AQI 72😷✈️18h$1,019 / mo🌇 Also went here45 people⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 21° 70° 21° 70°AQI 15✈️18h$3,446 / mo🌇 Also went here42 peopleGreat for tourism, bad for living. The City has a fascinating contrast of old and new. You will never get bored, it’s easy to meet people and have fun. Infrastructure and food are great. Thai people are friendly and welcoming, even when it not always feels genuine. With that said, it’s not a good city for long term living. It’s too hot and humid. Felt air temperature is between 37°C-45°C almost year round during the day. It’s makes all outdoor activity unpleasant. Getting your daily d
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 37° 99° 32° 90°🥵AQI 99😷✈️18h$1,410 / mo🌇 Also went here48 peopleStayed here for a month. It reminds me of a less-developed Bangkok. Although there are a lot of high-rise buildings being built at the moment. Very cheap place compared to lots of places in Asia however it's one of the most expensive places in Vietnam. I wouldn't stay here long term, good for a month but was ready to move on. Pros: - Cheap city - Has lots of bars and restaurants - Has some good day trips and activities - Safe - Very cheap Ubers Cons: - Can be extremely hot during the day which
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 36° 97° 30° 87°🥵AQI 9✈️18h$1,061 / mo🌇 Also went here44 peopleSo… amazing food. Great public transportation. Very clean. But very conformist. Self expression limited. The irony of seeing an exhibit on graffiti, yet no actual graffiti in the streets. And the causal racism especially if you’re brown. You could be British born but still expect to be sat far away from everyone else at cocktail bars, experience comments and have weird assumptions made.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84°AQI 13✈️20h$4,028 / mo🌇 Also went here45 people
