Iowa city guide
Moving From California to West Des Moines, IA
The Des Moines metro's professional core, with new construction, corporate headquarters, and the deepest job access in the state.
Housing comparison
California versus West Des Moines, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $286,300
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- not available
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- not available
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 69,893
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at West Des Moines
West Des Moines sits on the west edge of the Des Moines metro and functions as its financial and corporate hub. Principal Financial Group, several insurance and financial services firms, and a large retail and restaurant corridor along Jordan Creek give the city a job base that is broader and better paid than most Iowa cities of similar size.
The city grew fast through the 2000s and 2010s, and its neighborhoods reflect that: newer subdivisions on the west side, established mid-century streets closer to the historic downtown along Fifth Street, and a compact walkable core that the city has worked to build out around its library and shops.
For a California household, the draw is a real metro with an airport, hospital systems, and a deep private-sector job market, at a home price that is a fraction of a California city of comparable size. It is also the most expensive of the Des Moines suburbs, which is the trade for that job access.
West Des Moines fits you if
- You want the deepest private-sector job market in Iowa, particularly in finance, insurance, and corporate services.
- You want walkable retail and restaurants without giving up suburban schools and yards.
- You are relocating with school-age kids and want strong, well-funded public schools.
- You want proximity to Des Moines International Airport and downtown Des Moines without living in the city center.
Look elsewhere if
- You are chasing the cheapest possible Iowa housing. Ankeny and Cedar Rapids both undercut West Des Moines on price.
- You want mountains, ocean, or dramatic terrain nearby. Central Iowa is flat farmland and river valleys.
- You need year-round mild weather. Iowa has genuine winters and humid summers.
- You want a large, diverse restaurant and arts scene on the scale of a major metro.
Housing in West Des Moines
The housing stock ranges from smaller homes near the historic Valley Junction district to large new-construction subdivisions pushing west toward Waukee and Clive. Newer homes dominate the west side, and lot sizes are generous by California standards.
The ACS median home value for the city is $286,300, well below the price of a comparable California suburb, though it is the highest of the Des Moines-area cities in this guide. Iowa has no state cap on annual assessment growth like California's Proposition 13, so property tax bills rise with reassessments rather than staying anchored to a purchase price.
Competition for well-located homes near Jordan Creek and top-rated schools can be real during spring selling season, but it does not resemble a California bidding market. A cash buyer from California equity typically has strong leverage here.
Work and the local economy
Principal Financial Group is headquartered in Des Moines and West Des Moines has become the preferred address for many of the insurance, financial services, and professional firms that orbit it. That concentration is the reason wages here run above the state average.
Retail and hospitality are a second pillar, anchored by the Jordan Creek Town Center corridor, which draws shoppers from across the metro and supports a large service workforce.
If your field is finance, insurance, healthcare administration, or corporate services, West Des Moines gives you the best odds of finding local work in the state. Outside those fields, expect a narrower market than a California metro.
Climate and setting
Central Iowa has a full four-season continental climate. Winters bring regular snow and stretches of subfreezing highs, and summers are warm and humid with regular thunderstorms, a sharp contrast to California's dry summers.
Spring brings the state's severe weather season, including tornado watches and warnings that are a normal part of living in the Midwest. Most storms pass without local damage, but a NOAA weather radio or phone alerts are standard household equipment here.
Fall is generally the most pleasant season, with cool, dry stretches and the Des Moines metro's parks and trail network at their best.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM), about 15 minutes away, with nonstop service to major hubs.
- Highways
- Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 both cross the western metro near the city.
- Hospital
- MercyOne and UnityPoint Health both operate hospitals and clinics across the Des Moines metro.
- Public schools
- West Des Moines Community School District.
- Higher education
- Des Moines Area Community College has a West Des Moines-area campus; Drake University is in Des Moines proper.
- Setting
- Flat to gently rolling terrain along the Raccoon River watershed.
The trade-offs
- It is the most expensive city in this Des Moines-area guide, though still inexpensive by California standards.
- Growth has brought traffic on Jordan Creek Parkway and the west-side interchanges that did not exist a generation ago.
- Winters are real, with plowing, ice, and heating costs to budget for that a California household may not expect.
- The restaurant and arts scene, while active for a city this size, is not comparable to a major metro's depth.
Other Iowa towns people compare
Ankeny
The fastest-growing suburb in Iowa, heavy on newer homes and young families, on the north edge of the Des Moines metro.
Iowa City
A university and hospital town with the state's most walkable core and its highest rents, built around the University of Iowa.
Cedar Rapids
The cheapest real housing of any sizable Iowa metro, still rebuilding its tree canopy after a 2020 derecho and historic flooding.
Ames
Home to Iowa State University, a stable employment base built around the school, and a small-town cost structure.
Decorah
A small town in the bluff country of Iowa's northeast corner, chosen by people who want scenery over convenience.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Iowa picture are on the Iowa page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Data USA profile for West Des Moines, IA, datausa.io.
- Des Moines International Airport flight information, flydsm.com.
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