Rents are 10% above what Ames's 10-year trend predicts — running hotter than its own history.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,153 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Is your rent fair?
Compare your rent to the local median.
Who lives here
Ames, IA is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 65.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Ames, IA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Ames, IA has climbed by $289 per month, settling near $1,153 after starting the period at $864. Median household income grew from $54,339 to $60,991 between 2021 and 2024, a 12.2% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 21.2 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 65,522 to 67,669 between 2021 and 2024, a 3.3% change. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 61.4% to 65.8%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Ames, IA reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
Discussions about Ames
No discussions yet. Start the conversation.
Can you afford rent in Ames on your salary?
At $1,153/mo, how Ames rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Ames rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Ames. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Ames
Last updated: August 17, 2026
The median rent in Ames is $1,153/mo as of August 2026. A studio apartment averages $935/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,130/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,015/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,580/mo.
At 23% of local median household income ($60,991/yr), Ames ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 6.8% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ames an affordable city for renters?
How much income do you need to rent in Ames?
Is rent going up or down in Ames?
Which Ames neighborhoods have the lowest rent?
How does Ames rent compare to other cities in Iowa?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Ames?
What percentage of Ames residents rent vs. own?
How does Ames rent compare to the national average?
At $1,153/mo, rent takes ~23% of Ames's median household income ($60,991/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
How does this area stack up?
Pick another city or ZIP to compare.
Estimated from ZIP-level data
Be the first to submit your rent for Ames.
No discussions yet.
