Rent prices in Iowa (FY2027)
The average FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Iowa is $1,113 a month including utilities — 37% below the U.S. average, ranging from $927 to $1,450 by area. Find your metro below and check what you can afford.
Iowa average Fair Market Rent, FY2027 (rent + utilities)
$1,113/mo 2 bedrooms · ▲ 1.3% vs FY2026
Studio
U.S. $1,379 · 39% below U.S.
$846
1 bedroom
U.S. $1,478 · 39% below U.S.
$902
2 bedrooms
U.S. $1,761 · 37% below U.S.
$1,113
3 bedrooms
U.S. $2,266 · 35% below U.S.
$1,475
4 bedrooms
U.S. $2,607 · 37% below U.S.
$1,649
Ranks #46 of 51 (50 states + DC) for 2-bedroom rent. See all states
Metro areas in Iowa
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
693K people · 1BR $1,145 · 3BR $1,856
Cedar Rapids, IA
230K people · 1BR $806 · 3BR $1,459
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
382K people · 1BR $852 · 3BR $1,396
Iowa City, IA
157K people · 1BR $1,002 · 3BR $1,634
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
143K people · 1BR $838 · 3BR $1,401
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
959K people · 1BR $1,219 · 3BR $1,924
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
145K people · 1BR $965 · 3BR $1,447
Ames, IA
100K people · 1BR $944 · 3BR $1,469
Dubuque, IA
99K people · 1BR $891 · 3BR $1,516
Jasper County, IA
38K people · 1BR $787 · 3BR $1,330
Boone County, IA
27K people · 1BR $768 · 3BR $1,339
Benton County, IA
26K people · 1BR $751 · 3BR $1,267
Bremer County, IA
25K people · 1BR $782 · 3BR $1,343
Washington County, IA
23K people · 1BR $766 · 3BR $1,278
Jones County, IA
21K people · 1BR $734 · 3BR $1,214
2-bedroom FMR; arrow = change vs FY2026. Sorted by population in Iowa. Tap a metro for studio to 4 bedrooms and the income you need.
Rural counties (non-metro)
Show all 77 non-metro counties (A–Z)
Adair County, IA
Studio $709 · 1BR $729 · 3BR $1,236 · 4BR $1,380
Adams County, IA
Studio $700 · 1BR $721 · 3BR $1,268 · 4BR $1,273
Allamakee County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $763 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,475
Appanoose County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,105 · 4BR $1,273
Audubon County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $852 · 3BR $1,239 · 4BR $1,549
Buchanan County, IA
Studio $712 · 1BR $716 · 3BR $1,297 · 4BR $1,522
Buena Vista County, IA
Studio $781 · 1BR $788 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,355
Butler County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,105 · 4BR $1,325
Calhoun County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $732 · 3BR $1,113 · 4BR $1,218
Carroll County, IA
Studio $796 · 1BR $801 · 3BR $1,174 · 4BR $1,239
Cass County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $727 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,533
Cedar County, IA
Studio $720 · 1BR $741 · 3BR $1,269 · 4BR $1,274
Cerro Gordo County, IA
Studio $744 · 1BR $749 · 3BR $1,218 · 4BR $1,485
Cherokee County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $767 · 3BR $1,203 · 4BR $1,288
Chickasaw County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $795 · 3BR $1,262 · 4BR $1,266
Clarke County, IA
Studio $659 · 1BR $781 · 3BR $1,272 · 4BR $1,277
Clay County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Clayton County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $721 · 3BR $1,169 · 4BR $1,383
Clinton County, IA
Studio $646 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,190 · 4BR $1,549
Crawford County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $783 · 3BR $1,282 · 4BR $1,320
Davis County, IA
Studio $792 · 1BR $815 · 3BR $1,270 · 4BR $1,439
Decatur County, IA
Studio $646 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,105 · 4BR $1,533
Delaware County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $852 · 3BR $1,119 · 4BR $1,549
Des Moines County, IA
Studio $769 · 1BR $844 · 3BR $1,444 · 4BR $1,533
Dickinson County, IA
Studio $829 · 1BR $834 · 3BR $1,424 · 4BR $1,434
Emmet County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $778 · 3BR $1,247 · 4BR $1,251
Fayette County, IA
Studio $698 · 1BR $719 · 3BR $1,240 · 4BR $1,306
Floyd County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,136 · 4BR $1,359
Franklin County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,143 · 4BR $1,549
Fremont County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,320
Greene County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,212 · 4BR $1,448
Hamilton County, IA
Studio $746 · 1BR $796 · 3BR $1,196 · 4BR $1,320
Hancock County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $750 · 3BR $1,120 · 4BR $1,549
Hardin County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,196 · 4BR $1,335
Henry County, IA
Studio $667 · 1BR $732 · 3BR $1,259 · 4BR $1,264
Howard County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $852 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,523
Humboldt County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $820 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,549
Ida County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $839 · 3BR $1,155 · 4BR $1,218
Iowa County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $770 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,549
Jackson County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Jefferson County, IA
Studio $832 · 1BR $838 · 3BR $1,306 · 4BR $1,440
Keokuk County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $766 · 3BR $1,159 · 4BR $1,251
Kossuth County, IA
Studio $709 · 1BR $811 · 3BR $1,137 · 4BR $1,254
Lee County, IA
Studio $680 · 1BR $746 · 3BR $1,295 · 4BR $1,448
Louisa County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,133 · 4BR $1,292
Lucas County, IA
Studio $706 · 1BR $727 · 3BR $1,279 · 4BR $1,284
Lyon County, IA
Studio $702 · 1BR $722 · 3BR $1,126 · 4BR $1,242
Mahaska County, IA
Studio $718 · 1BR $723 · 3BR $1,157 · 4BR $1,243
Marion County, IA
Studio $711 · 1BR $826 · 3BR $1,217 · 4BR $1,378
Marshall County, IA
Studio $698 · 1BR $719 · 3BR $1,231 · 4BR $1,235
Mitchell County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $801 · 3BR $1,190 · 4BR $1,218
Monona County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,162 · 4BR $1,549
Monroe County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,247 · 4BR $1,251
Montgomery County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $852 · 3BR $1,267 · 4BR $1,378
Muscatine County, IA
Studio $812 · 1BR $867 · 3BR $1,315 · 4BR $1,622
O'Brien County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,105 · 4BR $1,218
Osceola County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Page County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,184 · 4BR $1,255
Palo Alto County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,247 · 4BR $1,251
Plymouth County, IA
Studio $756 · 1BR $778 · 3BR $1,315 · 4BR $1,385
Pocahontas County, IA
Studio $663 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Poweshiek County, IA
Studio $729 · 1BR $854 · 3BR $1,403 · 4BR $1,433
Ringgold County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $725 · 3BR $1,151 · 4BR $1,251
Sac County, IA
Studio $791 · 1BR $796 · 3BR $1,215 · 4BR $1,219
Shelby County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $838 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Sioux County, IA
Studio $741 · 1BR $764 · 3BR $1,279 · 4BR $1,361
Tama County, IA
Studio $702 · 1BR $722 · 3BR $1,198 · 4BR $1,317
Taylor County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $710 · 3BR $1,198 · 4BR $1,290
Union County, IA
Studio $646 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,210 · 4BR $1,218
Van Buren County, IA
Studio $706 · 1BR $726 · 3BR $1,132 · 4BR $1,515
Wapello County, IA
Studio $799 · 1BR $823 · 3BR $1,409 · 4BR $1,414
Wayne County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $723 · 3BR $1,232 · 4BR $1,251
Webster County, IA
Studio $667 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,191 · 4BR $1,549
Winnebago County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $818 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,374
Winneshiek County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $710 · 3BR $1,214 · 4BR $1,218
Worth County, IA
Studio $688 · 1BR $709 · 3BR $1,284 · 4BR $1,293
Wright County, IA
Studio $701 · 1BR $722 · 3BR $1,125 · 4BR $1,241
Big number = 2-bedroom FMR. HUD sets a floor: no 2-bedroom FMR may be below the lower of the state’s or the national non-metro median ($1,014 for FY2027).
Rent affordability check
Income needed at the Iowa average
Studio
$846/mo rent + utilities
$33,840/yr
$16.27/hr full-time
1 bedroom
$902/mo rent + utilities
$36,080/yr
$17.35/hr full-time
2 bedrooms
$1,113/mo rent + utilities
$44,520/yr
$21.40/hr full-time
3 bedrooms
$1,475/mo rent + utilities
$59,000/yr
$28.37/hr full-time
4 bedrooms
$1,649/mo rent + utilities
$65,960/yr
$31.71/hr full-time
Gross yearly income so that rent plus utilities is 30% of income; hourly = yearly ÷ 2,080 hours.
What a Fair Market Rent is (and is not)
A Fair Market Rent (FMR) is set every year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is HUD’s estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent — rent plus utilities (except phone, cable and internet) — paid by recent movers into standard-quality, non-luxury rental homes in an area. In other words, about 40% of recently rented units in the area cost less than the FMR and about 60% cost more.
FMRs are not asking rents and not the price of any specific listing. They are built from Census Bureau American Community Survey rents and updated with inflation and trend factors, so they lag the newest listings and smooth out neighborhood differences. HUD uses them to set Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) payment standards and other program rents. Treat them as a solid, official benchmark for a typical modest rental — new listings in popular neighborhoods often cost more.
Questions & answers
What is the average rent in Iowa?
Using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents, the population-weighted average for a 2-bedroom in Iowa is $1,113 a month including utilities — 37% below the U.S. average of $1,761. A 1-bedroom averages $902 and a studio $846.
Where is rent cheapest in Iowa?
The lowest FY2027 2-bedroom FMR in Iowa is $927 in Allamakee County, IA; the highest is $1,450 in Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA.
How much do I need to earn to rent in Iowa?
At the 30% rule, a 2-bedroom at the state-average FMR of $1,113 needs $44,520 a year in gross income (about $21.40 an hour full-time). A 1-bedroom at $902 needs $36,080.
Did rent go up in Iowa this year?
The population-weighted 2-bedroom FMR in Iowa changed +1.3% from FY2026 to FY2027, compared with +1.5% for the U.S.
Is the Fair Market Rent what landlords charge?
Not exactly. It is HUD’s 40th-percentile estimate of rent plus utilities paid by recent movers into standard-quality units — a benchmark for a modest rental. Many listings, especially new or central ones, ask more.
Source: HUD User, FY2027 Fair Market Rents (effective October 1, 2026; Federal Register notice), compared with FY2026 revised FMRs. HUD data is in the public domain. State and U.S. averages are Tachlis calculations weighted by each county’s population as listed in HUD’s file. HUD may revise FMRs for areas that request a reevaluation.
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