We bet you’re smart.
Why else would you be looking for the cheapest places to live in Iowa?
Well, we think you’re smart. And to help you out, we used Saturday Night Science to pinpoint the exact locations of the most affordable places to live in Iowa. We looked through the Census data for housing costs and the cost of living for every place in the state.
More affordable places include suburbs of bigger cities like Des Moines. That said, you’ll probably have a cornfield in your backyard in most of these places. But at least Ledges State Park is just a short drive away.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 most affordable places to live in Iowa
Ask any Iowan, and they will say, hands down, that their corner of the world is the best. Heck, there’s a reason The Hawkeye State is the 30th most populous in the country.
What’s the most affordable place to live in Iowa? The most affordable place to live in Iowa is Maquoketa according to the most recent Census data on incomes, rent, and home prices.
Check out some more reading about Iowa and the cheapest places in the country:
The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Iowa For 2026
/10
Population: 6,075
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 81
Median Income: $60,240
Median Home Price: $197,794
Median Rent: $795
Ranking as the most affordable place to live in Iowa is Maquoketa, a city 45 minutes north of Davenport. Maquoketa is home to Maquoketa Caves State Park, so you can go on outdoor adventure any time without spending a dime. The median rent in Maquoketa is quite low at $795, but what really lands Maquoketa on this list is the affordability of homes. Maquoketa has the 34th cheapest homes on the market in Iowa, with a median price of $197,794.
More on Maquoketa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
I am proud to have lived in Maquoketa all my life.I can think of lots of other towns in Iowa that I wouldn’t spend a single night in.
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Population: 5,372
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 82
Median Income: $46,563
Median Home Price: $80,251
Median Rent: $755
Centerville, centered in the center of Appanoose County, certainly excels as a cheap city in Iowa.
Phew.
It has an overall cost of living that is 8.9% lower than the state average. That saves more money for fun things to do like a weekend trip to Boise or camping at the Swinging Bridge Campground.
More on Centerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,353
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 82
Median Income: $46,348
Median Home Price: $125,018
Median Rent: $660
Clarinda’s motto is “Honor the Past…Imagine the Future” and boy do they hold true to that. Liberal arts lovers will rejoice that there is not only an amazing art museum in Clarinda, but also a history museum. And you don’t need to scrimp and save to enjoy all this high culture. Clarinda residents pay the 22nd lowest proportion of their income on homes. The median home price in Clarinda is $125,018 and the median income is $46,348.
Clarinda is located in southwestern Iowa.
More on Clarinda: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,154
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 82
Median Income: $61,750
Median Home Price: $148,065
Median Rent: $728
Cherokee ranks as one the cheapest and best places to live in Iowa. As the county seat of Cherokee County, it has a bustling downtown area with local shops and restaurants. The nearby Cherokee State Park also provides opportunities for outdoor recreation such as hiking and fishing. Overall, Cherokee is a great option for those who want to save money without sacrificing quality of life.
With a $148,065 median home value and $728 median rent, Cherokee ranks as one of the most affordable places to live in Iowa. This low cost of living is reflected in the $61,750 median income of Cherokee residents.
More on Cherokee: Data | Crime | Movers
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Population: 27,626
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $69,068
Median Home Price: $173,581
Median Rent: $891
Located in the central part of the state between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown ranks as the fifth cheapest place in Iowa. At a population of 27,626, Marshalltown is the biggest city to make this list, so you know you’ll never lack for things to do here. Marshalltown has the 17th best home price to income ratio in the state, so you won’t have to fork over half your paycheck just to live in a nice place.
More on Marshalltown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 7,769
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $63,430
Median Home Price: $147,379
Median Rent: $907
Webster City comes in as the sixth least expensive city in Iowa for 2026. Webster City scored an 8/10 on our overall Snackability scale, with an 8/10+ in most categories, so you know it’s an all-around great place to call home. Especially if you’re into fishing or kayaking, what with the illustrious Boone River running along the city’s east side. Webster City is quite affordable for renters, but with a median home price of $147,379 and a median income of $63,430, the city stands out more for being the ninth easiest place to pay off the mortgage in Iowa.
Another fun fact: Webster City’s unemployment rate is under 3%, so you should not have a problem locking down a job here.
More on Webster City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,834
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 83
Median Income: $46,653
Median Home Price: $109,878
Median Rent: $847
Ranked as the seventh most affordable city in Iowa, Oelwein sits at the intersection of State Highways 3 and 150 within central Fayette County.
The city’s overall cost of living index of 83 is notably lower than the state and national average. Its $109,878 average home price, which is the fourth lowest in Iowa, drives the low cost of living. Home prices typically account for the biggest discrepancy in living costs between cities in the same state.
More on Oelwein: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 25,430
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $61,103
Median Home Price: $121,424
Median Rent: $921
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,023 at the 2010 census. Located in southeastern Iowa, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.
More on Ottumwa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 24,827
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $60,649
Median Home Price: $129,004
Median Rent: $785
Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S. Routes 20 and 169.
More on Fort Dodge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 11,504
Overall Cost Of Living Index: 84
Median Income: $64,004
Median Home Price: $186,482
Median Rent: $831
Oskaloosa offers one of the most affordable lifestyles in Iowa. With a median home value of $186,482 and median rent of $831, the cost of living in Oskaloosa is well below the national average.
Oskaloosa’s low unemployment rate of just 4.76% and median income of $64,004 make it a stable and secure place to live.
More on Oskaloosa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Cheapest places to live in Iowa FAQs
The county in Iowa with the lowest cost of living is Decatur County. The average living wage in Decatur County is $84,148 according to MIT data. Decatur County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to Iowa as a whole. Childcare costs $11,870 a year in Decatur County for two children compared to the Iowa average of $15,077. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,580 per year in Decatur County compared to $9,843 on average in Iowa.
The cost of living in Iowa is 0.6% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in Iowa is $89,241 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a Iowa household is $61,836.
The cheapest housing market in Iowa is Centerville. The average home value in Centerville is $73,000, the lowest in the state. The average home value in Iowa is $153,900, almost 2.1 times higher than Centerville.
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The county in Iowa with the lowest cost of living is Decatur County. The average living wage in Decatur County is $84,148 according to MIT data. Decatur County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to Iowa as a whole. Childcare costs $11,870 a year in Decatur County for two children compared to the Iowa average of $15,077. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,580 per year in Decatur County compared to $9,843 on average in Iowa.
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The cheapest housing market in Iowa is Centerville. The average home value in Centerville is $73,000, the lowest in the state. The average home value in Iowa is $153,900, almost 2.1 times higher than Centerville.
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Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Hawkeye State for 2026
Determining affordability for places in Iowa boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 for Iowa using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in Iowa to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 85 places in Iowa that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in Iowa with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Maquoketa.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cheapest places to live in Iowa.
Iowa Affordabilility Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Iowa for 2026, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Iowa.
The cheapest cities in Iowa are Maquoketa, Centerville, Clarinda, Cherokee, Marshalltown, Webster City, Oelwein, Ottumwa, Fort Dodge, and Oskaloosa.
Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in Iowa according to the data:
- Polk City
- Clive
- Johnston
For more Iowa reading, check out:
Cheapest Places To Live In Iowa
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maquoketa | 6,075 | 81 | $60,240 | $197,794 | $795 |
| 2 | Centerville | 5,372 | 82 | $46,563 | $80,251 | $755 |
| 3 | Clarinda | 5,353 | 82 | $46,348 | $125,018 | $660 |
| 4 | Cherokee | 5,154 | 82 | $61,750 | $148,065 | $728 |
| 5 | Marshalltown | 27,626 | 83 | $69,068 | $173,581 | $891 |
| 6 | Webster City | 7,769 | 83 | $63,430 | $147,379 | $907 |
| 7 | Oelwein | 5,834 | 83 | $46,653 | $109,878 | $847 |
| 8 | Ottumwa | 25,430 | 84 | $61,103 | $121,424 | $921 |
| 9 | Fort Dodge | 24,827 | 84 | $60,649 | $129,004 | $785 |
| 10 | Oskaloosa | 11,504 | 84 | $64,004 | $186,482 | $831 |
| 11 | Perry | 7,985 | 84 | $68,910 | $172,451 | $931 |
| 12 | Knoxville | 7,473 | 84 | $61,599 | $203,229 | $801 |
| 13 | Charles City | 7,232 | 84 | $59,180 | $140,720 | $735 |
| 14 | Red Oak | 5,510 | 84 | $50,109 | $136,873 | $812 |
| 15 | Iowa Falls | 5,038 | 84 | $50,417 | $130,588 | $831 |
| 16 | Creston | 7,435 | 85 | $52,633 | $152,978 | $703 |
| 17 | Osceola | 5,523 | 85 | $68,284 | $187,628 | $943 |
| 18 | Manchester | 5,191 | 85 | $61,191 | $222,973 | $802 |
| 19 | Mason City | 27,050 | 86 | $64,804 | $154,095 | $882 |
| 20 | Keokuk | 9,662 | 86 | $52,711 | $80,981 | $871 |
| 21 | Atlantic | 6,763 | 86 | $61,141 | $158,965 | $764 |
| 22 | Clinton | 24,322 | 87 | $60,230 | $127,331 | $791 |
| 23 | Denison | 8,260 | 87 | $65,684 | $176,094 | $731 |
| 24 | Estherville | 5,839 | 87 | $54,124 | $122,713 | $754 |
| 25 | Anamosa | 5,629 | 87 | $60,650 | $243,589 | $966 |
| 26 | Council Bluffs | 62,586 | 88 | $64,578 | $223,906 | $1,030 |
| 27 | Boone | 12,424 | 88 | $69,222 | $210,007 | $831 |
| 28 | Fort Madison | 10,133 | 88 | $50,705 | $109,639 | $826 |
| 29 | Fairfield | 9,456 | 88 | $51,311 | $158,193 | $870 |
| 30 | Mount Pleasant | 8,951 | 88 | $61,042 | $191,461 | $826 |
| 31 | Sheldon | 5,474 | 88 | $62,159 | $220,402 | $930 |
| 32 | Sioux City | 86,101 | 89 | $68,906 | $196,299 | $976 |
| 33 | Waterloo | 67,008 | 89 | $57,480 | $143,280 | $923 |
| 34 | Burlington | 23,728 | 89 | $59,000 | $123,914 | $924 |
| 35 | Spencer | 11,400 | 89 | $59,667 | $193,030 | $805 |
| 36 | Nevada | 6,983 | 89 | $75,094 | $241,439 | $953 |
| 37 | Des Moines | 212,421 | 90 | $65,932 | $208,165 | $1,090 |
| 38 | Davenport | 100,913 | 90 | $66,200 | $187,412 | $978 |
| 39 | Newton | 15,700 | 90 | $57,771 | $200,884 | $819 |
| 40 | Carroll | 10,208 | 90 | $69,706 | $200,080 | $722 |
| 41 | Washington | 7,290 | 90 | $55,373 | $190,721 | $968 |
| 42 | Storm Lake | 11,428 | 91 | $62,765 | $177,022 | $898 |
| 43 | Independence | 6,164 | 91 | $73,806 | $216,073 | $820 |
| 44 | Cedar Rapids | 137,264 | 92 | $70,424 | $204,111 | $967 |
| 45 | Muscatine | 23,489 | 92 | $58,117 | $184,866 | $974 |
| 46 | Grinnell | 9,505 | 92 | $65,320 | $208,193 | $895 |
| 47 | Winterset | 5,416 | 92 | $67,708 | $289,607 | $1,095 |
| 48 | Dubuque | 59,174 | 93 | $65,845 | $245,146 | $948 |
| 49 | Hiawatha | 7,206 | 93 | $66,270 | $254,299 | $855 |
| 50 | Orange City | 6,426 | 93 | $82,122 | $314,345 | $789 |
| 51 | Glenwood | 5,144 | 93 | $71,790 | $310,532 | $924 |
| 52 | Marion | 41,896 | 94 | $86,743 | $271,355 | $961 |
| 53 | Le Mars | 10,640 | 94 | $74,701 | $275,107 | $929 |
| 54 | Clear Lake | 7,607 | 94 | $79,415 | $322,830 | $808 |
| 55 | Indianola | 16,044 | 95 | $75,453 | $309,171 | $986 |
| 56 | Waverly | 10,494 | 95 | $80,284 | $271,473 | $1,057 |
| 57 | Algona | 5,377 | 95 | $56,040 | $179,883 | $885 |
| 58 | Adel | 6,430 | 97 | $95,250 | $390,597 | $926 |
| 59 | Decorah | 7,535 | 98 | $64,366 | $304,334 | $853 |
| 60 | Altoona | 21,495 | 99 | $86,114 | $317,901 | $1,235 |
| 61 | Spirit Lake | 5,518 | 99 | $65,720 | $328,917 | $911 |
| 62 | Pella | 10,720 | 100 | $84,111 | $351,501 | $1,046 |
| 63 | Ames | 67,669 | 101 | $60,991 | $274,367 | $1,023 |
| 64 | Cedar Falls | 40,888 | 101 | $76,987 | $259,137 | $1,203 |
| 65 | Norwalk | 14,183 | 101 | $102,722 | $332,836 | $838 |
| 66 | Bondurant | 8,560 | 101 | $135,674 | $330,602 | $1,337 |
| 67 | Sergeant Bluff | 5,171 | 102 | $123,481 | $354,761 | $1,156 |
| 68 | Windsor Heights | 5,143 | 102 | $91,707 | $282,953 | $1,498 |
| 69 | Iowa City | 75,752 | 103 | $58,546 | $298,092 | $1,094 |
| 70 | West Des Moines | 71,083 | 103 | $86,594 | $320,156 | $1,237 |
| 71 | Grimes | 16,366 | 103 | $120,037 | $348,193 | $1,251 |
| 72 | Pleasant Hill | 11,136 | 103 | $90,508 | $299,730 | $1,215 |
| 73 | Tiffin | 5,737 | 103 | $100,952 | $327,121 | $1,224 |
| 74 | Bettendorf | 39,647 | 104 | $100,495 | $328,095 | $1,187 |
| 75 | Waukee | 29,236 | 104 | $101,029 | $338,880 | $1,383 |
| 76 | North Liberty | 21,125 | 105 | $102,102 | $307,635 | $1,246 |
| 77 | Ankeny | 72,615 | 106 | $108,198 | $338,168 | $1,319 |
| 78 | Coralville | 23,234 | 106 | $69,144 | $256,222 | $1,057 |
| 79 | Eldridge | 6,818 | 106 | $106,316 | $347,340 | $945 |
| 80 | Urbandale | 46,595 | 107 | $112,795 | $349,851 | $1,211 |
| 81 | Asbury | 5,989 | 108 | $124,957 | $381,428 | $1,522 |
| 82 | Johnston | 24,384 | 110 | $106,551 | $394,440 | $1,338 |
| 83 | Clive | 19,012 | 110 | $132,121 | $425,730 | $1,073 |
| 84 | Polk City | 6,037 | 113 | $164,389 | $427,586 | $782 |