Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Renting Costs Far Less Than Owning in Iowa
The widest gaps between median rent and the full monthly cost of owning the median home. A large gap does not automatically mean renting is the better decision, because rent buys no equity and is not fixed for thirty years, but it does show where the market prices ownership at a steep premium.
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 renting | Median rent | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas County | $1,569 | $1,239 | $2,808 |
| 2 | Johnson County | $1,416 | $1,104 | $2,520 |
| 3 | Warren County | $1,213 | $975 | $2,188 |
| 4 | Winneshiek County | $1,212 | $800 | $2,012 |
| 5 | Dickinson County | $1,138 | $930 | $2,068 |
| 6 | Madison County | $1,135 | $938 | $2,073 |
| 7 | Mills County | $1,102 | $888 | $1,990 |
| 8 | Sioux County | $1,096 | $888 | $1,984 |
| 9 | Polk County | $1,093 | $1,113 | $2,206 |
| 10 | Story County | $1,090 | $1,019 | $2,109 |
| 11 | Lyon County | $989 | $802 | $1,791 |
| 12 | Dubuque County | $988 | $944 | $1,932 |
| 13 | Plymouth County | $977 | $865 | $1,842 |
| 14 | Bremer County | $959 | $844 | $1,803 |
| 15 | Iowa County | $946 | $722 | $1,668 |
| 16 | Marion County | $943 | $880 | $1,823 |
| 17 | Linn County | $919 | $915 | $1,834 |
| 18 | Benton County | $916 | $815 | $1,731 |
| 19 | Scott County | $915 | $958 | $1,873 |
| 20 | Washington County | $882 | $862 | $1,744 |
| 21 | Boone County | $867 | $826 | $1,693 |
| 22 | Cedar County | $863 | $860 | $1,723 |
| 23 | Jones County | $852 | $759 | $1,611 |
| 24 | Allamakee County | $795 | $717 | $1,512 |
| 25 | Carroll County | $794 | $722 | $1,516 |
| 26 | Grundy County | $777 | $777 | $1,554 |
| 27 | Delaware County | $761 | $743 | $1,504 |
| 28 | Jasper County | $757 | $822 | $1,579 |
| 29 | Poweshiek County | $751 | $864 | $1,615 |
| 30 | Buchanan County | $722 | $802 | $1,524 |
| 31 | Clay County | $705 | $798 | $1,503 |
| 32 | Mitchell County | $704 | $739 | $1,443 |
| 33 | Jackson County | $702 | $800 | $1,502 |
| 34 | Pottawattamie County | $691 | $970 | $1,661 |
| 35 | Black Hawk County | $677 | $962 | $1,639 |
| 36 | Chickasaw County | $658 | $779 | $1,437 |
| 37 | Clayton County | $645 | $764 | $1,409 |
| 38 | Guthrie County | $642 | $823 | $1,465 |
| 39 | Butler County | $635 | $780 | $1,415 |
| 40 | Harrison County | $624 | $854 | $1,478 |
| 41 | Clarke County | $618 | $836 | $1,454 |
| 42 | Henry County | $612 | $770 | $1,382 |
| 43 | O'Brien County | $612 | $770 | $1,382 |
| 44 | Ringgold County | $608 | $745 | $1,353 |
| 45 | Woodbury County | $603 | $946 | $1,549 |
| 46 | Humboldt County | $598 | $731 | $1,329 |
| 47 | Muscatine County | $596 | $966 | $1,562 |
| 48 | Sac County | $591 | $643 | $1,234 |
| 49 | Clinton County | $591 | $825 | $1,416 |
| 50 | Shelby County | $588 | $810 | $1,398 |
| 51 | Jefferson County | $585 | $881 | $1,466 |
| 52 | Fremont County | $582 | $753 | $1,335 |
| 53 | Cherokee County | $579 | $711 | $1,290 |
| 54 | Cerro Gordo County | $571 | $840 | $1,411 |
| 55 | Worth County | $566 | $703 | $1,269 |
| 56 | Floyd County | $564 | $672 | $1,236 |
| 57 | Adair County | $555 | $730 | $1,285 |
| 58 | Howard County | $532 | $699 | $1,231 |
| 59 | Webster County | $525 | $762 | $1,287 |
| 60 | Crawford County | $524 | $727 | $1,251 |
| 61 | Winnebago County | $513 | $712 | $1,225 |
| 62 | Palo Alto County | $513 | $599 | $1,112 |
| 63 | Greene County | $495 | $774 | $1,269 |
| 64 | Buena Vista County | $488 | $835 | $1,323 |
| 65 | Monroe County | $484 | $787 | $1,271 |
| 66 | Mahaska County | $474 | $821 | $1,295 |
| 67 | Davis County | $472 | $878 | $1,350 |
| 68 | Union County | $472 | $683 | $1,155 |
| 69 | Cass County | $471 | $769 | $1,240 |
| 70 | Franklin County | $468 | $649 | $1,117 |
| 71 | Louisa County | $459 | $797 | $1,256 |
| 72 | Tama County | $422 | $865 | $1,287 |
| 73 | Van Buren County | $419 | $686 | $1,105 |
| 74 | Decatur County | $416 | $663 | $1,079 |
| 75 | Page County | $406 | $731 | $1,137 |
| 76 | Hancock County | $400 | $784 | $1,184 |
| 77 | Marshall County | $396 | $860 | $1,256 |
| 78 | Fayette County | $396 | $813 | $1,209 |
| 79 | Calhoun County | $392 | $690 | $1,082 |
| 80 | Lucas County | $380 | $738 | $1,118 |
| 81 | Des Moines County | $373 | $908 | $1,281 |
| 82 | Hamilton County | $373 | $853 | $1,226 |
| 83 | Lee County | $358 | $814 | $1,172 |
| 84 | Kossuth County | $354 | $859 | $1,213 |
| 85 | Ida County | $347 | $669 | $1,016 |
| 86 | Appanoose County | $339 | $779 | $1,118 |
| 87 | Audubon County | $336 | $707 | $1,043 |
| 88 | Monona County | $334 | $795 | $1,129 |
| 89 | Wayne County | $332 | $660 | $992 |
| 90 | Osceola County | $332 | $796 | $1,128 |
| 91 | Taylor County | $330 | $707 | $1,037 |
| 92 | Montgomery County | $309 | $782 | $1,091 |
| 93 | Emmet County | $302 | $731 | $1,033 |
| 94 | Wright County | $280 | $788 | $1,068 |
| 95 | Hardin County | $268 | $814 | $1,082 |
| 96 | Keokuk County | $245 | $822 | $1,067 |
| 97 | Adams County | $188 | $909 | $1,097 |
| 98 | Pocahontas County | $163 | $743 | $906 |
| 99 | Wapello County | $151 | $950 | $1,101 |
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 Renting Costs Far Less Than Owning across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Iowa