Rent Affordability for A Nursing Assistant in Iowa

A typical nursing assistant in Iowa earns about $36,441 a year, which supports approximately $911 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. 3 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 32 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Boone, IA$770/mo25.4%affordable
Clinton, IA$775/mo25.5%affordable
Fort Dodge, IA$820/mo27%affordable
Waterloo, IA$948/mo31.2%stretched
Knoxville, IA$950/mo31.3%stretched
Davenport, IA$960/mo31.6%stretched
Marshalltown, IA$978/mo32.2%stretched
Burlington, IA$991/mo32.6%stretched
Newton, IA$992/mo32.7%stretched
Dubuque, IA$1,094/mo36%stretched
Adel, IA$1,094/mo36%stretched
Des Moines, IA$1,131/mo37.2%stretched
Pella, IA$1,135/mo37.4%stretched
Ames, IA$1,153/mo38%stretched
Urbandale, IA$1,203/mo39.6%stretched
Coralville, IA$1,235/mo40.7%rent-burdened
Norwalk, IA$1,237/mo40.7%rent-burdened
Cedar Falls, IA$1,251/mo41.2%rent-burdened
Sioux City, IA$1,254/mo41.3%rent-burdened
Iowa City, IA$1,271/mo41.9%rent-burdened
Indianola, IA$1,282/mo42.2%rent-burdened
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,307/mo43%rent-burdened
Marion, IA$1,315/mo43.3%rent-burdened
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,325/mo43.6%rent-burdened
Council Bluffs, IA$1,342/mo44.2%rent-burdened
West Des Moines, IA$1,353/mo44.6%rent-burdened
Grimes, IA$1,367/mo45%rent-burdened
Bettendorf, IA$1,386/mo45.6%rent-burdened
Johnston, IA$1,432/mo47.2%rent-burdened
Altoona, IA$1,475/mo48.6%rent-burdened
Ankeny, IA$1,533/mo50.5%severely rent-burdened
Waukee, IA$1,601/mo52.7%severely rent-burdened
North Liberty, IA$1,692/mo55.7%severely rent-burdened
Tiffin, IA$1,864/mo61.4%severely rent-burdened
Le Claire, IA$2,900/mo95.5%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).