Most Affordable Cities in Iowa

Cost of living rankings for 86 cities in Iowa with uncapped home, rent, and income estimates. On average, Iowa is affordable with a statewide average Cost Index of 87.

1 source baseline is past its update cadence — newer official vintage not reflected

Cheapest City

Centerville

Index: 67

Most Expensive

Clive

Index: 114

State Average

National: 100

Cities Ranked

eligible statewide total

Iowa Affordability Ranking

Showing 1–50 of 86 eligible cities — 50 on this page. Page 1 of 2.

#	City	Index	Home Value	Rent	Income
1	Centerville	67	$79,766	$927	$46,563
2	Fort Madison	68	$114,173	$642	$50,705
3	Keokuk	68	$84,736	$976	$52,711
4	Oelwein	71	$111,469	$940	$46,653
5	Red Oak	71	$138,421	$650	$50,109
6	Fort Dodge	72	$132,254	$835	$60,649
7	Clinton	72	$135,834	$775	$60,230
8	Waterloo	73	$147,780	$945	$57,480
9	Estherville	73	$127,969	$927	$54,124
10	Clarinda	73	$133,300	$927	$46,348
11	Ottumwa	74	$125,640	$1,076	$61,103
12	Burlington	74	$128,671	$1,000	$59,000
13	Fairfield	74	$157,685	$748	$51,311
14	Iowa Falls	74	$138,568	$927	$50,417
15	Charles City	75	$147,115	$927	$59,180
16	Cherokee	75	$151,046	$927	$61,750
17	Creston	76	$156,116	$927	$52,633
18	Mason City	77	$160,992	$927	$64,804
19	Webster City	77	$156,137	$1,004	$63,430
20	Atlantic	77	$162,352	$927	$61,141
21	Boone	78	$213,280	$732	$69,222
22	Muscatine	79	$195,204	$845	$58,117
23	Denison	79	$182,875	$927	$65,684
24	Davenport	80	$196,283	$971	$66,200
25	Marshalltown	80	$180,076	$1,024	$69,068
26	Storm Lake	80	$178,255	$1,031	$62,765
27	Washington	80	$198,381	$1,002	$55,373
28	Algona	80	$188,082	$954	$56,040
29	Newton	81	$206,224	$988	$57,771
30	Oskaloosa	81	$194,697	$946	$64,004
31	Spencer	81	$199,945	$927	$59,667
32	Mount Pleasant	81	$198,587	$958	$61,042
33	Perry	81	$172,729	$1,360	$68,910
34	Osceola	81	$195,009	$946	$68,284
35	Carroll	82	$210,508	$927	$69,706
36	Grinnell	82	$217,770	$1,014	$65,320
37	Knoxville	82	$211,086	$904	$61,599
38	Maquoketa	82	$206,159	$927	$60,240
39	Des Moines	83	$210,572	$1,126	$65,932
40	Sioux City	83	$202,482	$1,275	$68,906
41	Independence	84	$223,116	$937	$73,806
42	Sheldon	84	$228,985	$927	$62,159
43	Cedar Rapids	85	$212,086	$1,291	$70,424
44	Hiawatha	86	$262,180	$941	$66,270
45	Nevada	86	$248,771	$1,061	$75,094
46	Anamosa	86	$255,845	$927	$60,650
47	DeWitt	86	$241,400	$927	$92,587
48	Manchester	86	$239,339	$927	$61,191
49	Council Bluffs	87	$229,838	$1,350	$64,578
50	Dubuque	87	$250,358	$1,076	$65,845

2026 edition — based on ACS 2024, Zillow 2026-08, HUD FY2027, and BEA 2024 dated sources. The edition year is not the observation year.

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