Midwest · Updated October 2026
Iowa in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,113/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
17.7%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
3.8%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.29%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
93.2
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
40th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Iowa stands out: the 6th cheapest two-bedroom rent, the 3rd smallest rent-to-income bite, the 2nd lowest everyday costs and the 9th lowest top income-tax rate among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 9th highest property taxes.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 6.9% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 22nd lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Des Moines (Des Moines Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 34°F | 17°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 61°F | 41°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 84°F | 64°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 63°F | 43°F |
$1,360/mo two-bedroom · $1,145 one-bedroom (Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Des Moines is an insurance and finance centre with an unusually high quality of life for its cost — a walkable downtown, a good farmers' market and short commutes. Flat, cold in winter, and quietly one of the Midwest's success stories.
$1,054/mo two-bedroom · $806 one-bedroom (Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Cedar Rapids is an eastern Iowa manufacturing and avionics city on the Cedar River, very affordable and low-key. Flood history is a real consideration, and the pace is unhurried.
$1,180/mo two-bedroom · $1,002 one-bedroom (Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Iowa City is a literary university town with an outsized arts scene, excellent hospitals and a compact walkable core. Young, liberal, affordable, and noticeably quieter between semesters.
$1,194/mo two-bedroom · $965 one-bedroom (Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA)
Sioux City sits where Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota meet on the Missouri River, with meatpacking and agribusiness at its core. Very low housing costs and a practical, working-town feel.
$1,061/mo two-bedroom · $944 one-bedroom (Ames, IA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Ames is Iowa State's town — engineering and agricultural research, cheap housing and a safe, tidy small-city feel. Surrounded by corn, cold in winter, and heavily shaped by the university calendar.
$1,056/mo two-bedroom · $852 one-bedroom (Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA)
Davenport anchors the Quad Cities on the Mississippi, with manufacturing, riverboat casinos and very low housing costs. Flooding is a recurring issue, and the metro straddles the Illinois border.
$1,096/mo two-bedroom · $838 one-bedroom (Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Waterloo, with neighbouring Cedar Falls and the University of Northern Iowa, is a manufacturing centre anchored by John Deere. Cheap housing and short commutes, with long cold winters.
$1,131/mo two-bedroom · $891 one-bedroom (Dubuque, IA MSA)
Dubuque is a Mississippi River city on bluffs where Iowa meets Illinois and Wisconsin, with Victorian architecture and a revived riverfront. Affordable and scenic, with cold winters and river flooding.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Iowa’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 3.8% (Iowa tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 6.9% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,113 a month and a one-bedroom for about $902, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $646 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 93.2 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 63.0 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 17.7% of the state’s median household income of $75,501.
Iowa recorded 243.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 15th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are tornadoes and flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Iowa’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 40th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Sioux City and Ames. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.