Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Owning Costs Less Than Renting in Iowa
Counties where the full monthly cost of owning the median home comes in below median rent, even after tax, insurance, utilities and maintenance. These are the places where buying is cheapest relative to the local rental market.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
Iowa ranked
| # | County | Monthly saved by owning | Median rent | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wapello County | $-151 | $950 | $1,101 |
| 2 | Pocahontas County | $-163 | $743 | $906 |
| 3 | Adams County | $-188 | $909 | $1,097 |
| 4 | Keokuk County | $-245 | $822 | $1,067 |
| 5 | Hardin County | $-268 | $814 | $1,082 |
| 6 | Wright County | $-280 | $788 | $1,068 |
| 7 | Emmet County | $-302 | $731 | $1,033 |
| 8 | Montgomery County | $-309 | $782 | $1,091 |
| 9 | Taylor County | $-330 | $707 | $1,037 |
| 10 | Osceola County | $-332 | $796 | $1,128 |
| 11 | Wayne County | $-332 | $660 | $992 |
| 12 | Monona County | $-334 | $795 | $1,129 |
| 13 | Audubon County | $-336 | $707 | $1,043 |
| 14 | Appanoose County | $-339 | $779 | $1,118 |
| 15 | Ida County | $-347 | $669 | $1,016 |
| 16 | Kossuth County | $-354 | $859 | $1,213 |
| 17 | Lee County | $-358 | $814 | $1,172 |
| 18 | Hamilton County | $-373 | $853 | $1,226 |
| 19 | Des Moines County | $-373 | $908 | $1,281 |
| 20 | Lucas County | $-380 | $738 | $1,118 |
| 21 | Calhoun County | $-392 | $690 | $1,082 |
| 22 | Fayette County | $-396 | $813 | $1,209 |
| 23 | Marshall County | $-396 | $860 | $1,256 |
| 24 | Hancock County | $-400 | $784 | $1,184 |
| 25 | Page County | $-406 | $731 | $1,137 |
| 26 | Decatur County | $-416 | $663 | $1,079 |
| 27 | Van Buren County | $-419 | $686 | $1,105 |
| 28 | Tama County | $-422 | $865 | $1,287 |
| 29 | Louisa County | $-459 | $797 | $1,256 |
| 30 | Franklin County | $-468 | $649 | $1,117 |
| 31 | Cass County | $-471 | $769 | $1,240 |
| 32 | Union County | $-472 | $683 | $1,155 |
| 33 | Davis County | $-472 | $878 | $1,350 |
| 34 | Mahaska County | $-474 | $821 | $1,295 |
| 35 | Monroe County | $-484 | $787 | $1,271 |
| 36 | Buena Vista County | $-488 | $835 | $1,323 |
| 37 | Greene County | $-495 | $774 | $1,269 |
| 38 | Palo Alto County | $-513 | $599 | $1,112 |
| 39 | Winnebago County | $-513 | $712 | $1,225 |
| 40 | Crawford County | $-524 | $727 | $1,251 |
| 41 | Webster County | $-525 | $762 | $1,287 |
| 42 | Howard County | $-532 | $699 | $1,231 |
| 43 | Adair County | $-555 | $730 | $1,285 |
| 44 | Floyd County | $-564 | $672 | $1,236 |
| 45 | Worth County | $-566 | $703 | $1,269 |
| 46 | Cerro Gordo County | $-571 | $840 | $1,411 |
| 47 | Cherokee County | $-579 | $711 | $1,290 |
| 48 | Fremont County | $-582 | $753 | $1,335 |
| 49 | Jefferson County | $-585 | $881 | $1,466 |
| 50 | Shelby County | $-588 | $810 | $1,398 |
| 51 | Clinton County | $-591 | $825 | $1,416 |
| 52 | Sac County | $-591 | $643 | $1,234 |
| 53 | Muscatine County | $-596 | $966 | $1,562 |
| 54 | Humboldt County | $-598 | $731 | $1,329 |
| 55 | Woodbury County | $-603 | $946 | $1,549 |
| 56 | Ringgold County | $-608 | $745 | $1,353 |
| 57 | O'Brien County | $-612 | $770 | $1,382 |
| 58 | Henry County | $-612 | $770 | $1,382 |
| 59 | Clarke County | $-618 | $836 | $1,454 |
| 60 | Harrison County | $-624 | $854 | $1,478 |
| 61 | Butler County | $-635 | $780 | $1,415 |
| 62 | Guthrie County | $-642 | $823 | $1,465 |
| 63 | Clayton County | $-645 | $764 | $1,409 |
| 64 | Chickasaw County | $-658 | $779 | $1,437 |
| 65 | Black Hawk County | $-677 | $962 | $1,639 |
| 66 | Pottawattamie County | $-691 | $970 | $1,661 |
| 67 | Jackson County | $-702 | $800 | $1,502 |
| 68 | Mitchell County | $-704 | $739 | $1,443 |
| 69 | Clay County | $-705 | $798 | $1,503 |
| 70 | Buchanan County | $-722 | $802 | $1,524 |
| 71 | Poweshiek County | $-751 | $864 | $1,615 |
| 72 | Jasper County | $-757 | $822 | $1,579 |
| 73 | Delaware County | $-761 | $743 | $1,504 |
| 74 | Grundy County | $-777 | $777 | $1,554 |
| 75 | Carroll County | $-794 | $722 | $1,516 |
| 76 | Allamakee County | $-795 | $717 | $1,512 |
| 77 | Jones County | $-852 | $759 | $1,611 |
| 78 | Cedar County | $-863 | $860 | $1,723 |
| 79 | Boone County | $-867 | $826 | $1,693 |
| 80 | Washington County | $-882 | $862 | $1,744 |
| 81 | Scott County | $-915 | $958 | $1,873 |
| 82 | Benton County | $-916 | $815 | $1,731 |
| 83 | Linn County | $-919 | $915 | $1,834 |
| 84 | Marion County | $-943 | $880 | $1,823 |
| 85 | Iowa County | $-946 | $722 | $1,668 |
| 86 | Bremer County | $-959 | $844 | $1,803 |
| 87 | Plymouth County | $-977 | $865 | $1,842 |
| 88 | Dubuque County | $-988 | $944 | $1,932 |
| 89 | Lyon County | $-989 | $802 | $1,791 |
| 90 | Story County | $-1,090 | $1,019 | $2,109 |
| 91 | Polk County | $-1,093 | $1,113 | $2,206 |
| 92 | Sioux County | $-1,096 | $888 | $1,984 |
| 93 | Mills County | $-1,102 | $888 | $1,990 |
| 94 | Madison County | $-1,135 | $938 | $2,073 |
| 95 | Dickinson County | $-1,138 | $930 | $2,068 |
| 96 | Winneshiek County | $-1,212 | $800 | $2,012 |
| 97 | Warren County | $-1,213 | $975 | $2,188 |
| 98 | Johnson County | $-1,416 | $1,104 | $2,520 |
| 99 | Dallas County | $-1,569 | $1,239 | $2,808 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Counties Where Owning Costs Less Than Renting across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Iowa