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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Digital nomads optimize for low burn rate without sacrificing connectivity. We ranked 2 cities in Iowa on cost, utilities, and rent flexibility. Des Moines leads at index 88 with a 81 utilities score.
#1 Ranked: Des Moines — cost index 88, rent $1,141/mo, income $63,966
Digital-nomad scoring: cost index 88, utilities 81, rent $1,141/mo — minimum monthly burn rate
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 88 | $1,141 | Details |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 88 | $1,158 | Details |
Digital nomads optimize for low burn rate without sacrificing connectivity. We ranked 2 cities in Iowa on cost, utilities, and rent flexibility. Des Moines leads at index 88 with a 81 utilities score.
The #1 spot goes to Des Moines, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,141/month — saving renters $9,048 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 69, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 90. At a 21% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
210,381 residents · Iowa
A closer look at Des Moines: the cost index of 88 breaks down to a Housing index of 69 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 90 (weakest). Median rent is $1,141/month — 40% below the national median — while household income sits at $63,966, meaning locals spend about 21% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
135,958 residents · Iowa
Cedar Rapids earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 88 cost index sits 24 points below the national baseline, and the $67,859 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $204,214 — $263,156 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 70, while Healthcare trails at 90.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to digital nomads. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Des Moines ranks #1 in Iowa for this analysis with a cost index of 88 and median income of $63,966.
Des Moines scores highest for digital nomads due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,141/mo, and competitive median income of $63,966.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Des Moines (ranked #1) has a cost index of 88 and rent of $1,141/mo, while Cedar Rapids (ranked #2) has a cost index of 88 and rent of $1,158/mo — a 0-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Des Moines is $1,141/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $754 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Des Moines is $204,843, which is 3.2× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Iowa has a 5.7% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.43%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.