What's a healthy ratio in Iowa?

Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.

Does this account for interest rates?

No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.

What if my income is higher?

Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.

Buyer authority IA

Most affordable cities for home buyers in Iowa.

Affordability = how many years of household income buys the median home. This ranks Iowa cities by price-to-income ratio (lower = more affordable).

Last updated September 2026

Iowa ranking

50 cities ranked. Click any row for the matching local page.

#	City	Price-to-income ratio	Score
1	Davenport	3.4x income	77	View →
2	Des Moines	3.3x income	78	View →
3	Cedar Rapids	3.3x income	78	View →
4	Sioux City	3.1x income	81	View →
5	Iowa City	3.1x income	81	View →
6	Dubuque	3.1x income	81	View →
7	Council Bluffs	3.1x income	81	View →
8	Waterloo	3.1x income	81	View →
9	Ames	3.1x income	81	View →
10	Ankeny	3.1x income	81	View →
11	Cedar Falls	3.1x income	81	View →
12	Marion	3.1x income	81	View →
13	Marshalltown	3.1x income	81	View →
14	Muscatine	3.1x income	81	View →
15	Burlington	3.1x income	81	View →
16	Ottumwa	3.1x income	81	View →
17	Mason City	3.1x income	81	View →
18	Fort Dodge	3.1x income	81	View →
19	Clinton	3.1x income	81	View →
20	West Des Moines	3.0x income	84	View →
21	Bettendorf	3.0x income	84	View →
22	Keokuk	2.9x income	84	View →
23	Newton	2.9x income	86	View →
24	Indianola	2.9x income	86	View →
25	Coralville	2.8x income	86	View →
26	Altoona	2.9x income	86	View →
27	Boone	2.8x income	86	View →
28	North Liberty	2.8x income	86	View →
29	Oskaloosa	2.8x income	86	View →
30	Pella	2.9x income	86	View →
31	Decorah	2.9x income	86	View →
32	Fort Madison	2.8x income	86	View →
33	Storm Lake	2.9x income	86	View →
34	Spencer	2.9x income	86	View →
35	Fairfield	2.8x income	86	View →
36	Mount Pleasant	2.9x income	86	View →
37	Carroll	2.8x income	86	View →
38	Le Mars	2.9x income	86	View →
39	Waverly	2.8x income	86	View →
40	Norwalk	2.9x income	86	View →
41	Knoxville	2.8x income	86	View →
42	Grinnell	2.9x income	86	View →
43	Pleasant Hill	2.8x income	86	View →
44	Charles City	2.8x income	86	View →
45	Grimes	2.8x income	86	View →
46	Denison	2.9x income	86	View →
47	Glenwood	2.9x income	86	View →
48	Creston	2.9x income	86	View →
49	Clear Lake	2.8x income	86	View →
50	Eldridge	2.9x income	86	View →

Methodology

Ratio = estimated home value ÷ average household income (Census ACS). Demographia bands (under 3.0 affordable, over 5.0 severely unaffordable) are designed around medians, so treat these as directional. Cities whose true median home value likely exceeds the dataset's modeled value (e.g. SF Bay, Manhattan) are flagged in their state pages.

FAQ

What's a healthy ratio in Iowa?: Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.
Does this account for interest rates?: No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.
What if my income is higher?: Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.