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
Clinton, IA$792/mo26.1%affordable
Fort Dodge, IA$843/mo27.8%affordable
Waterloo, IA$898/mo29.6%affordable
Marshalltown, IA$930/mo30.6%stretched
Knoxville, IA$941/mo31%stretched
Boone, IA$947/mo31.2%stretched
Davenport, IA$949/mo31.3%stretched
Newton, IA$962/mo31.7%stretched
Burlington, IA$983/mo32.4%stretched
Adel, IA$1,031/mo34%stretched
Pella, IA$1,085/mo35.7%stretched
Dubuque, IA$1,110/mo36.6%stretched
Des Moines, IA$1,121/mo36.9%stretched
Ames, IA$1,125/mo37%stretched
Norwalk, IA$1,189/mo39.2%stretched
Urbandale, IA$1,197/mo39.4%stretched
Sioux City, IA$1,216/mo40%rent-burdened
Cedar Falls, IA$1,264/mo41.6%rent-burdened
Coralville, IA$1,263/mo41.6%rent-burdened
Marion, IA$1,278/mo42.1%rent-burdened
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,288/mo42.4%rent-burdened
Iowa City, IA$1,308/mo43.1%rent-burdened
Bettendorf, IA$1,327/mo43.7%rent-burdened
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,346/mo44.3%rent-burdened
Council Bluffs, IA$1,348/mo44.4%rent-burdened
West Des Moines, IA$1,369/mo45.1%rent-burdened
Johnston, IA$1,382/mo45.5%rent-burdened
Indianola, IA$1,382/mo45.5%rent-burdened
Altoona, IA$1,436/mo47.3%rent-burdened
Grimes, IA$1,435/mo47.3%rent-burdened
Ankeny, IA$1,520/mo50.1%severely rent-burdened
North Liberty, IA$1,655/mo54.5%severely rent-burdened
Waukee, IA$1,665/mo54.8%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).