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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 2 cities across Iowa for rent, food, and cost of living. Des Moines (rent $1,141/mo, cost index 67) ranks #1 for 2026.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 67 | $1,141 | Details |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 68 | $1,158 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Des Moines — cost index 67, rent $1,141/mo, income $63,966
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,141/mo, food index 88, cost index 67 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 2 cities across Iowa for rent, food, and cost of living. Des Moines (rent $1,141/mo, cost index 67) ranks #1 for 2026.
Des Moines earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 67 cost index sits 44 points below the national baseline, and the $63,966 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $204,843 — $262,527 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 67, while Healthcare trails at 93.
The other side of the coin: Here's the state-level backdrop: Iowa averages a 68 cost index, $1,150/mo — whether that matters depends on your situation — rent, and $65,913 income across 2 cities. That's $745 less than the national rent average. Midwest stability with bargain-level costs — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
210,381 residents · Iowa
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. And in most cases, on the category level, Housing (index 67) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 93) 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.
135,958 residents · Iowa
What does daily life actually cost in Cedar Rapids? Start with the 20% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 68) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 94) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $67,859 and homes at $204,214 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons. Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to students. 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 67 and median income of $63,966.
Des Moines scores highest for students 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 67 and rent of $1,141/mo, while Cedar Rapids (ranked #2) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,158/mo — a 1-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.