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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. 30 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 5 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Clinton, IA$792/mo16.1%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$843/mo17.1%very comfortable
Waterloo, IA$898/mo18.3%very comfortable
Marshalltown, IA$930/mo18.9%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$941/mo19.1%very comfortable
Davenport, IA$949/mo19.3%very comfortable
Boone, IA$947/mo19.3%very comfortable
Newton, IA$962/mo19.6%very comfortable
Burlington, IA$983/mo20%very comfortable
Adel, IA$1,031/mo21%affordable
Pella, IA$1,085/mo22.1%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,110/mo22.6%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,121/mo22.8%affordable
Ames, IA$1,125/mo22.9%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,189/mo24.2%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,197/mo24.3%affordable
Sioux City, IA$1,216/mo24.7%affordable
Cedar Falls, IA$1,264/mo25.7%affordable
Coralville, IA$1,263/mo25.7%affordable
Marion, IA$1,278/mo26%affordable
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,288/mo26.2%affordable
Iowa City, IA$1,308/mo26.6%affordable
Bettendorf, IA$1,327/mo27%affordable
Council Bluffs, IA$1,348/mo27.4%affordable
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,346/mo27.4%affordable
West Des Moines, IA$1,369/mo27.8%affordable
Johnston, IA$1,382/mo28.1%affordable
Indianola, IA$1,382/mo28.1%affordable
Altoona, IA$1,436/mo29.2%affordable
Grimes, IA$1,435/mo29.2%affordable
Ankeny, IA$1,520/mo30.9%stretched
North Liberty, IA$1,655/mo33.7%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,665/mo33.9%stretched
Tiffin, IA$1,864/mo37.9%stretched
Le Claire, IA$2,900/mo59%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).