Best rental value cities in Iowa

Name: Best Rental Value Cities in Iowa by Rent Reality Score
Creator: RentDataNow

Cities in Iowa renting furthest below their own 10-year trend, ranked by Rent Reality Score. Updated monthly.

Key findings

Council Bluffs ranks first, with a Rent Reality Score of 61.
Across all 18 cities on this list, the median rent is $1,287/mo.

Data as of September 2026. RentDataNow's Rent Reality Score compares each city's current rent with its own 10-year trend. High-confidence trends only. Updated monthly. Download this list (CSV)

Best value (RRS)Overheated (RRS)Most affordable Most expensive Rent falling Rent rising Best rent/income Most rent-burdened Record-high rent Seasonal swings Rent vs. income

18 cities

Rank	City	Score	Median rent	Vs. trend	1-yr change
01	Council BluffsIA Pop. 63KCompare →	61	$1,335/mo	-5.7%	+2.9%
02	AnkenyIA Pop. 73KCompare →	59	$1,464/mo	-4.5%	+1.9%
03	Des MoinesIA Pop. 212KCompare →	57	$1,129/mo	-3.7%	+1.0%
04	DubuqueIA Pop. 59KCompare →	57	$1,073/mo	-3.3%	+4.1%
05	UrbandaleIA Pop. 47KCompare →	55	$1,038/mo	-2.5%	+1.6%
06	West Des MoinesIA Pop. 71KCompare →	54	$1,353/mo	-2.1%	+2.6%
07	WaterlooIA Pop. 67KCompare →	54	$909/mo	-1.8%	+5.5%
08	DavenportIA Pop. 101KCompare →	53	$965/mo	-1.4%	+4.4%
09	Sioux CityIA Pop. 86KCompare →	52	$1,267/mo	-1.1%	+5.6%
10	WaukeeIA Pop. 29KCompare →	52	$1,640/mo	-1.2%	+5.6%
11	AmesIA Pop. 68KCompare →	51	$1,240/mo	-0.5%	+1.0%
12	BettendorfIA Pop. 40KCompare →	50	$1,466/mo	-0.1%	+5.1%
13	Cedar FallsIA Pop. 41KCompare →	49	$1,405/mo	+0.7%	+4.6%
14	North LibertyIA Pop. 21KCompare →	46	$1,808/mo	+1.9%	+7.2%
15	CoralvilleIA Pop. 23KCompare →	41	$1,282/mo	+4.7%	+10.8%
16	MarionIA Pop. 42KCompare →	39	$1,287/mo	+5.6%	+11.9%
17	Iowa CityIA Pop. 76KCompare →	35	$1,713/mo	+7.3%	+9.1%
18	Cedar RapidsIA Pop. 137KCompare →	21	$1,274/mo	+14.5%	+14.4%