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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. 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/mo15.1%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$804/mo15.6%very comfortable
Boone, IA$814/mo15.8%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$906/mo17.6%very comfortable
Waterloo, IA$909/mo17.7%very comfortable
Newton, IA$947/mo18.4%very comfortable
Davenport, IA$965/mo18.8%very comfortable
Burlington, IA$983/mo19.1%very comfortable
Marshalltown, IA$1,024/mo19.9%very comfortable
Indianola, IA$1,034/mo20.1%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,038/mo20.2%affordable
Pella, IA$1,052/mo20.5%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,073/mo20.9%affordable
Adel, IA$1,094/mo21.3%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,129/mo22%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,208/mo23.5%affordable
Ames, IA$1,240/mo24.1%affordable
Sioux City, IA$1,267/mo24.6%affordable
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,274/mo24.8%affordable
Coralville, IA$1,282/mo24.9%affordable
Marion, IA$1,287/mo25%affordable
Council Bluffs, IA$1,335/mo26%affordable
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,339/mo26%affordable
West Des Moines, IA$1,353/mo26.3%affordable
Johnston, IA$1,356/mo26.4%affordable
Grimes, IA$1,396/mo27.1%affordable
Cedar Falls, IA$1,405/mo27.3%affordable
Ankeny, IA$1,464/mo28.5%affordable
Bettendorf, IA$1,466/mo28.5%affordable
Altoona, IA$1,583/mo30.8%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,640/mo31.9%stretched
Iowa City, IA$1,713/mo33.3%stretched
Tiffin, IA$1,771/mo34.4%stretched
North Liberty, IA$1,808/mo35.2%stretched
Le Claire, IA$2,967/mo57.7%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).