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Rent Affordability for A Chef in Iowa

A typical chef in Iowa earns about $59,018 a year, which supports approximately $1,475 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Iowa city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 29 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 6 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Clinton, IA$775/mo15.8%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$804/mo16.3%very comfortable
Boone, IA$814/mo16.6%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$906/mo18.4%very comfortable
Waterloo, IA$909/mo18.5%very comfortable
Newton, IA$947/mo19.3%very comfortable
Davenport, IA$965/mo19.6%very comfortable
Burlington, IA$983/mo20%very comfortable
Marshalltown, IA$1,024/mo20.8%affordable
Indianola, IA$1,034/mo21%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,038/mo21.1%affordable
Pella, IA$1,052/mo21.4%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,073/mo21.8%affordable
Adel, IA$1,094/mo22.2%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,129/mo23%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,208/mo24.6%affordable
Ames, IA$1,240/mo25.2%affordable
Sioux City, IA$1,267/mo25.8%affordable
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,274/mo25.9%affordable
Coralville, IA$1,282/mo26.1%affordable
Marion, IA$1,287/mo26.2%affordable
Council Bluffs, IA$1,335/mo27.1%affordable
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,339/mo27.2%affordable
West Des Moines, IA$1,353/mo27.5%affordable
Johnston, IA$1,356/mo27.6%affordable
Grimes, IA$1,396/mo28.4%affordable
Cedar Falls, IA$1,405/mo28.6%affordable
Ankeny, IA$1,464/mo29.8%affordable
Bettendorf, IA$1,466/mo29.8%affordable
Altoona, IA$1,583/mo32.2%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,640/mo33.3%stretched
Iowa City, IA$1,713/mo34.8%stretched
Tiffin, IA$1,771/mo36%stretched
North Liberty, IA$1,808/mo36.8%stretched
Le Claire, IA$2,967/mo60.3%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Iowa. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).