Midwest ranking
12 Iowa cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 78
Index 90
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux City | 78 | $904/mo | $64,250 | 85K | Compare → |
| 2 | Waterloo | 80 | $865/mo | $54,104 | 67K | Compare → |
| 3 | Dubuque | 80 | $915/mo | $63,520 | 59K | Compare → |
| 4 | Ames | 83 | $1,011/mo | $57,428 | 66K | Compare → |
| 5 | Davenport | 83 | $890/mo | $59,890 | 101K | Compare → |
| 6 | Cedar Rapids | 83 | $886/mo | $66,895 | 137K | Compare → |
| 7 | Iowa City | 89 | $1,077/mo | $54,879 | 75K | Compare → |
| 8 | Council Bluffs | 89 | $964/mo | $61,181 | 63K | Compare → |
| 9 | Des Moines | 89 | $995/mo | $62,378 | 213K | Compare → |
| 10 | Urbandale | 89 | $1,108/mo | $111,888 | 46K | Compare → |
| 11 | West Des Moines | 89 | $1,153/mo | $82,345 | 69K | Compare → |
| 12 | Ankeny | 90 | $1,289/mo | $101,151 | 68K | Compare → |
If you're weighing a move to Iowa, the case usually comes down to a few specific things — most clearly affordable across the board and there's a genuinely cheap city to fall back on. Here's the detail.
Averaging across the Iowa cities we track, the composite cost-of-living index lands at about 85 — roughly 15% under the US baseline. That's not a quirk of one or two outlier towns; it shows up across most of the state. Average median rent across Iowa cities runs about $1,005/mo.
The cheapest city in Iowa we have data for is Sioux City, sitting at a cost-of-living index of 78 — about 22% under the US average. If affordability is the priority, Iowa gives you a real option, not a "well, this town is technically here" caveat.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Iowa (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Iowa, Sioux City is the most affordable city we track (cost index 78, with median rent around $904/mo), while Ankeny sits at the top of the range with an index of 90—roughly 15% pricier than Sioux City. Use the table above to compare any Iowa city directly against Sioux City.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.