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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Iowa beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Des Moines stands out at 67 on the index, with rent of $1,141/month and household income of $63,966. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Des Moines — cost index 67, rent $1,141/mo, income $63,966
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 67 | $1,141 | Details |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 68 | $1,158 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Iowa beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Des Moines stands out at 67 on the index, with rent of $1,141/month and household income of $63,966. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Here's Des Moines by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 67. Rent: $1,141/month. Income: $63,966/year. Home price: $204,843. Population: 210,381. The strongest category is Housing at 67; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $9,048 per year vs. the national median. This is the kind of number that should get your attention.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Des Moines: $1,141/mo, Cedar Rapids: $1,158/mo. The cheapest city here is $754 under the national median — that's $9,048/year in savings on rent alone.
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.
210,381 residents · Iowa
A closer look at Des Moines: the cost index of 67 breaks down to a Housing index of 67 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 93 (weakest). And as a general rule, 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
Dive into Cedar Rapids's numbers: cost index 68 (43 points below national average), rent $1,158/month, income $67,859, and a home price of $204,214. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 68, while Healthcare runs 94. With 135,958 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Rent is the single largest expense for most households. We rank all tracked cities in Iowa by median 1-bedroom rent (Zillow ZORI) from lowest to highest, filtering out any cities with incomplete data. 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.
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.