Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Iowa is a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Cedar Rapids leads at an index of 68 with rent at just $1,158/month — 39% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Iowa is a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Cedar Rapids leads at an index of 68 with rent at just $1,158/month — 39% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
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 #1 for clear reasons.
Here's how we'd use this ranking: start with the top 5, click into each city's detail page, and look at the 12-month rent trend. A city that's #3 but trending down beats a city that's #1 but climbing fast. Cedar Rapids leads today — the trend data below tells you whether it'll lead tomorrow.
#1 Ranked: Cedar Rapids — cost index 68, rent $1,158/mo, income $67,859
Cedar Rapids rent up 8% over the past year
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 | Cedar Rapids | 68 | $1,158 | Details |
| 2 | Des Moines | 67 | $1,141 | Details |
135,958 residents · Iowa
Why Cedar Rapids ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 68 on the cost index, residents save roughly 43% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,158/month while the median household pulls in $67,859/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 68, though Healthcare (94) lags behind. Home prices average $204,214 — $263,156 below the national median.
210,381 residents · Iowa
No sugarcoating: 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. In a market where everything is going up, this stands still — in a good way.
Cities are ranked by median household income using Census ACS data. Income alone doesn't tell the full story — we also show cost of living index so you can gauge real purchasing power in each city across Iowa. 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.
Cedar Rapids ranks #1 in Iowa for this analysis with a cost index of 68 and median income of $67,859.
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.
Cedar Rapids (ranked #1) has a cost index of 68 and rent of $1,158/mo, while Des Moines (ranked #2) has a cost index of 67 and rent of $1,141/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 Cedar Rapids is $1,158/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $737 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Cedar Rapids is $204,214, which is 3.0× 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.