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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
"Affordable" for students means: can rent fit a part-time paycheck? Are groceries reasonable? We analyzed 2 cities in Iowa, weighting rent and food highest. Des Moines takes the top spot (that's pre-tax, of course).
"Affordable" for students means: can rent fit a part-time paycheck? Are groceries reasonable? We analyzed 2 cities in Iowa, weighting rent and food highest. Des Moines takes the top spot (that's pre-tax, of course).
Des Moines is one of the cheaper options here. That's a reasonable number. Rent is $1,141/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 67. Income sits at $63,966. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
Student affordability boils down to three survival metrics: rent under $1,200/month — we had to double-check this one — (25pts), overall cost index (20pts), and food costs (10pts). And roughly speaking, des Moines leads at $1,141/month rent with a food index of 88 — 12% below the national food cost baseline. Cedar Rapids is close behind at $1,158/month (that's pre-tax, of course).
One more layer before the full breakdown: Iowa — Midwest stability with bargain-level costs. And with some exceptions, the 2 cities we track here average a cost index of 68 — we had to double-check this one — and median income of $65,913. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,150/month, which is $745 less than the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
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. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
#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
210,381 residents · Iowa
Why Des Moines ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. And in practical terms, at 67 on the cost index, residents save roughly 44% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,141/month — this is the part where it gets real — 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.
135,958 residents · Iowa
Here's Cedar Rapids by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 68. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. 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. For freelancers and gig workers with variable income, this cushion is everything (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). One to watch.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 67 | $1,141 | Details |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 68 | $1,158 | Details |
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to students. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Iowa by this personalized metric. 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.