?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Des Moines, WA vs Pullman, WA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Des Moines needs about $74,500 in Pullman to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Pullman, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $95,500 in Des Moines.

A few differences

Des Moines vs Pullman · facet by facet
FacetDes Moines, WAPullman, WA
Median home price$597,000$424,800
2-bedroom rent$1,830/mo$1,063/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax0%0%
Sales tax9.4%9.4%
Cost of living index124104
Groceries index106106
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$92,483$46,812
Unemployment rate4.3%4.3%
Crime index50/10050/100
School rating6.5/106.5/10
Sunny days / year155 days155 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Des Moines, WA · Pullman, WA
Questions & answers
Is Des Moines cheaper than Pullman?
Pullman has the lower day-to-day cost index (104 vs 124 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Pullman equals $85,000 in Des Moines?
A household earning $85,000 in Des Moines needs about $74,500 in Pullman to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Pullman lifestyle costs about $95,500 in Des Moines.