⭐️ Total score | 2.44/5 (Rank #310) |
👍 Quality of life score | Good |
👶 Family score | Good |
🎒 Community score | Okay |
💵 Cost | 🧐 Pricey: $3,435 / mo |
📡 Internet | 🏎 Fast: 96Mbps (avg) |
😝 Fun | Okay |
⛅️ Temperature (now) | 🌞 Nice: 20°C68°F (feels 21°C70°F) |
💦 Humidity (now) | 🌵 Too dry: 25% |
💨 Air quality (annual) | 🌱 Great: 31 US AQI |
👌 Safety | Good |
🤮 Food safety* | Great |
👮♀️ Lack of crime* | Good |
🤝 Lack of racism* | Good |
🎓 Education level* | High |
⚡️ Power grid | Great |
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change | Good |
💰 Income level* | Very high: $4,817 / mo |
🙊 English speaking* | Great |
🚶 Walkability | Great |
✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | Bad |
🚦 Traffic safety* | Okay |
🏥 Hospitals | Great |
😄 Happiness* | Bad |
🍸 Nightlife | Okay |
📶 Free WiFi in city | Okay |
🖥 Places to work from | Okay |
❄️ A/C or heating | Great |
😁 Friendly to foreigners | Great |
🗯 Freedom of speech* | Good |
👩 Female friendly | Good |
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | Great |
🎅 Startup Score | Okay |
🌍 Continent | North America |
🚩 Country | United States |
🗓️ Average trip length | 3 days |
📡 Internet speed (avg) | 96 Mbps |
⛅️ Weather (now) | ☀️ 20°C 68°F + 🌵 Too dry (25%) = feels 21°C 70°F |
💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👍 32 US AQI |
🔌 Power | 115V60Hz |
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay | Downtown Des Moines |
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood | Indianola Hills |
🚕 Best taxi app* | Uber |
🚑 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 | $3,435 / month |
💵 Cost of living for expat | $2,208 / month |
💵 Cost of living for family | $4,951 / month |
💵 Cost of living for local | $1,415 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $1,772 / month |
🏡 Airbnb (median price) | $2,112 / month |
🏠 1br studio rent in center | $1,017 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $83 / night |
🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $69 / 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
✅ Warm now
✅ 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
❌ Gets very cold in the winter
❌ Very dry air now
❌ Difficult to make friends
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Feels | 27-3° freezing | 16-9° 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 | 23-5° freezing | 5111° cool | 5614° cool | 6418° cool | 8429° very warm | 8329° very warm | 8228° very warm | 7625° 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 38mm | dry 38mm | rainy 69mm | dry 35mm | rainy 135mm | rainy 79mm | rainy 107mm | rainy 88mm | dry 46mm | rainy 72mm | rainy 57mm | dry 45mm |
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:
I'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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 18° 64° 17° 63°✈️30min$4,640 / mo88Mbps×New 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 18° 64° 17° 63°✈️2h$7,298 / mo97Mbps×I 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 18° 64° 18° 65°AQI 44✈️40min$4,531 / mo78Mbps×How 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).
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 67°✈️3h$5,912 / mo128Mbps×I don't understand why London has so high safety rating. Your phone could be stolen and your bicycle WILL be stolen here (or a part of it). I live here 8.5 years and I experienced the above multiple times. Police seems only cares about crime against person by whatever reason. Insure everything expensive that you own. I would also add that antisocial behaviour is quite common here and teenagers are heavily involved in crimes as police don't do anything with them because of their age. Basically th
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 7° 45° 8° 47°AQI 38✈️9h$5,505 / mo30Mbps×Got robbed at gun point, also the streets are pretty dirty and there are a lot of beggars. I wouldn't recommend it
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 20° 68° 20° 69°AQI 93😷✈️6h$1,473 / mo51Mbps×In it's current iteration, Houston is a wide-spread, vehicle dependent city and would be a difficult place to exist as a Nomad without a vehicle. Downtown Houston was once a desolate cluster of office buildings that was abandoned at sundown. But now, downtown is currently undergoing a transformation and will soon (5~ years) make for an inhabitable and nomad friendly destination.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked very bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 28° 82° 26° 79°AQI 51😷✈️2h$3,771 / mo147Mbps×I'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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 18° 64° 17° 63°✈️30min$4,640 / mo🌇 Also went here12 people×I 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 18° 64° 18° 65°AQI 44✈️40min$4,531 / mo🌇 Also went here15 people×Overall, 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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 23° 73° 23° 73°✈️1h$4,120 / mo🌇 Also went here17 people×All in, Austin is a good city. We live in Hill Country now so we're a bit removed. But it's beautiful area once you get away from the highways. A good tech scene. Not too expensive (~$2100 for a nice 2 bedroom apt) for the U.S. Has wineries and breweries galore. Not a great place if you are a recovering alcoholic (!). Cons: extremely hot in the summer; reaches 110 F (43.3 C) in summer afternoons from June - September. Not very diverse. Highways are loud and obnoxious.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 30° 86° 27° 81°✈️2h$3,818 / mo🌇 Also went here11 people×I 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 76°✈️2h$5,016 / mo🌇 Also went here10 people×New 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 18° 64° 17° 63°✈️2h$7,298 / mo🌇 Also went here17 people×Dirty. 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
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked very bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 28° 82° 31° 87°🥵✈️3h$4,357 / mo🌇 Also went here13 people×I spent 4 months working here during summertime. It's one of the best summers I have ever had in my life. The city is just amazing and offers dozens of outdoor activities. There are so many different places such as parks, lakes, hills, mountains, beaches, etc. Also, you can feel the Californication vibe on every step. I lived in Hollywood and I would avoid this place at any cost. It's just too overrated and won't meet your expectations. Hollywood (esp. West Hollywood) is a big pile of dirtiness
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked very bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 18° 64° 18° 65°AQI 74😷✈️3h$5,300 / mo🌇 Also went here15 people×How 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).
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 67°✈️3h$5,912 / mo🌇 Also went here13 people×Love it! Don't expect them to speak English, that is NOT their native language. If you're going to go, learn some Spanish and respect their culture. No gentrification in Mexico, please.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked good👮 Safety badTap to open🌧 Feels 25° 77° 25° 76°✈️3h$2,040 / mo🌇 Also went here13 people×Got robbed at gun point, also the streets are pretty dirty and there are a lot of beggars. I wouldn't recommend it
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 20° 68° 20° 69°AQI 93😷✈️6h$1,473 / mo🌇 Also went here11 people×I don't understand why London has so high safety rating. Your phone could be stolen and your bicycle WILL be stolen here (or a part of it). I live here 8.5 years and I experienced the above multiple times. Police seems only cares about crime against person by whatever reason. Insure everything expensive that you own. I would also add that antisocial behaviour is quite common here and teenagers are heavily involved in crimes as police don't do anything with them because of their age. Basically th
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked bad👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 7° 45° 8° 47°AQI 38✈️9h$5,505 / mo🌇 Also went here14 people×I recently visited Amsterdam for the third time (and the first time since 2018). I personally think it's a little overrated, but a cool place to visit nonetheless. The architecture is beautiful, and there are lots of good places to eat. I don't like the main area of the canals in the city centre; it smells of weed and is often packed. However, the outer edges - such as the Jordaan district - are less busy and more interesting in my opinion. One thing that surprised me is how much trash was o
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 6° 43° 8° 46°AQI 34✈️9h$6,084 / mo🌇 Also went here12 people×I have heard of a friend of a friend that in France it is important to bring sandpaper and to have suitable medical insurance which covers eye reconstruction surgery. “Well worth a visit, would recommend”.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 7° 45° 9° 49°AQI 38✈️9h$5,048 / mo🌇 Also went here11 people×This city is not for everyone, if you like shopping malls and big crowded cities it is for you. It may be cheap but if you want to live in a good location with swimming pool, go to nice rooftops and restaurants, use taxis then it is similar cost to western countries. In many areas there are no sidewalks, big and dangerous traffic all the time, pollution, taxis do not want to go with meter, it can get really hot. Definitely try to live by the metro. Many foreigners, mostly friendly people, cheap
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast👍 Liked mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 44° 111° 36° 96°🥵AQI 94😷✈️18h$1,350 / mo🌇 Also went here10 people×Can't login? See the FAQ
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