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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
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.
Why Des Moines ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 67 on the cost index, residents save roughly 44% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,141/month while the median household pulls in $63,966/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 67, though Healthcare (93) lags behind. Home prices average $204,843 — $262,527 below the national median.
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.
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 210,381 | 67 | $1,141 | Details |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 135,958 | 68 | $1,158 | Details |
210,381 residents · Iowa
Here's Des Moines by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And in most cases, it lines up with what you'd expect. 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. That's an underrated factor in the decision.
135,958 residents · Iowa
Here's Cedar Rapids by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And from what we can tell, cost index: 68. Rent: $1,158/month. Income: $67,859/year. Home price: $204,214. Population: 135,958. The strongest category is Housing at 68; the most expensive is Healthcare at 94. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,844 per year vs. the national median. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
Cities are ranked by total population from the latest Census estimates. Growing populations typically signal economic opportunity — but also rising costs. We pair population data with affordability metrics for context. 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.