Des Moines vs Sioux City
The short version
- Sioux City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Des Moines area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $173,600 in Sioux City and $194,700 in Des Moines.
Side by side
| Des Moines, IA | Sioux City, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 212,086 | 86,356 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.9% | +0.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,406 | 1,460 |
| Median age | 34.6 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30% | 23% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,932 | $68,906 |
| Median home value | $194,700 | $173,600 |
| Home value to income | 3.0× | 2.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,090 | $976 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.7 | 86.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 84.7 | 57.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,800 | $64,800 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.94% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.5 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 13% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 4.5% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 15.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 14° | 30° / 10° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 29 in |
| Snowfall per year | 37 in | 36 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 | 25 |
| Nights below freezing | 128 | 154 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.0 | 83.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 61% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +2.3% | -1.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.2% | +39.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Des Moines: July to October. Sioux City: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Des Moines weather by month and Sioux City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,800 in Des Moines and $64,800 in Sioux City. Moving from Des Moines to Sioux City, you would need about $70,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Des Moines and Sioux City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Des Moines and Sioux City.
Which would you pick?
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