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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Retirement planning isn't just about lowest rent — it's about protecting a fixed income from healthcare costs and state taxes. We scored 2 cities in Iowa on what hits retirees hardest: cost of living, healthcare, and tax burden. Des Moines leads with index 88, a 5.7% state tax rate, and a healthcare…
210,381 residents · Iowa
Des Moines is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,141/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 88. Income sits at $63,966. That's more or less in line with the region.
135,958 residents · Iowa
Real talk: Cedar Rapids earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And generally speaking, 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.
#1 Ranked: Des Moines — cost index 88, rent $1,141/mo, income $63,966
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 90, state tax 5.7%, cost index 88 — protecting fixed retirement income
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 |
Retirement planning isn't just about lowest rent — it's about protecting a fixed income from healthcare costs and state taxes. We scored 2 cities in Iowa on what hits retirees hardest: cost of living, healthcare, and tax burden. Des Moines leads with index 88, a 5.7% state tax rate, and a healthcare index of 90.
What does daily life actually cost in Des Moines? Start with the 21% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 69) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 90) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $63,966 and homes at $204,843 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Look, Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. And broadly, our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). Des Moines leads with low healthcare costs, a 5.7% state tax rate, and a cost index of 88. Cedar Rapids offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics.
That said, Iowa — Midwest stability with bargain-level costs. The 2 cities we track here average a cost index of 88 and median income of $65,913. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. Standard stuff, really. The typical rent runs $1,150/month, which is $745 less than the national median.
Bottom line: Des Moines leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to retirees. 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 retirees 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.