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Rent Affordability for An Elementary School Teacher in Iowa

A typical elementary school teacher in Iowa earns about $61,714 a year, which supports approximately $1,543 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. 31 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 4 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Clinton, IA$792/mo15.4%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$843/mo16.4%very comfortable
Waterloo, IA$898/mo17.5%very comfortable
Marshalltown, IA$930/mo18.1%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$941/mo18.3%very comfortable
Boone, IA$947/mo18.4%very comfortable
Davenport, IA$949/mo18.5%very comfortable
Newton, IA$962/mo18.7%very comfortable
Burlington, IA$983/mo19.1%very comfortable
Adel, IA$1,031/mo20%affordable
Pella, IA$1,085/mo21.1%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,110/mo21.6%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,121/mo21.8%affordable
Ames, IA$1,125/mo21.9%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,189/mo23.1%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,197/mo23.3%affordable
Sioux City, IA$1,216/mo23.6%affordable
Cedar Falls, IA$1,264/mo24.6%affordable
Coralville, IA$1,263/mo24.6%affordable
Marion, IA$1,278/mo24.9%affordable
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,288/mo25%affordable
Iowa City, IA$1,308/mo25.4%affordable
Bettendorf, IA$1,327/mo25.8%affordable
Council Bluffs, IA$1,348/mo26.2%affordable
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,346/mo26.2%affordable
West Des Moines, IA$1,369/mo26.6%affordable
Johnston, IA$1,382/mo26.9%affordable
Indianola, IA$1,382/mo26.9%affordable
Altoona, IA$1,436/mo27.9%affordable
Grimes, IA$1,435/mo27.9%affordable
Ankeny, IA$1,520/mo29.6%affordable
North Liberty, IA$1,655/mo32.2%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,665/mo32.4%stretched
Tiffin, IA$1,864/mo36.2%stretched
Le Claire, IA$2,900/mo56.4%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).