Living here
Cost of living in Des Moines
Housing is cheaper than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,054/mo
22% below US
Median home value
$183,700
39% below US
Median household income
$63,966
19% below US
Rent as share of income
20%
US 21%
Home price to income
2.9×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
7%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Des Moines compares
- Des Moines$1,054
- Iowa$949
- United States$1,348
- Cedar Rapids$925
- Des Moines$183,700
- Iowa$195,900
- United States$303,400
- Cedar Rapids$177,100
Taxes
Life in Des Moines
Questions
Is Des Moines expensive to live in?
Housing in Des Moines is cheaper than the national average: median rent is $1,054 (22% below US) and the median home value is $183,700 (39% below US).
How much is rent in Des Moines?
The median gross rent is $1,054 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $1,102, 1 bedroom $1,145, 2 bedrooms $1,360, 3 bedrooms $1,856, 4 bedrooms $1,901.
How much of their income do renters spend in Des Moines?
At the median, a year’s rent ($12,648) equals about 20% of the median household income ($63,966); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Des Moines?
Sales tax is 7% and property taxes run about 1.88% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; Iowa DOR Local Option Rates and Sunsets ('Status of All Juris Jul1, 2026', updated 06/18/2026).