The 17 most affordable cities in Iowa to buy a house
Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Iowa residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.
But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.
To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in Iowa, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.
#1. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 23.7%
- Median sale price: $209,634
- Median household income: $67,859
- Income needed to buy: $53,533
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,338
- See homes for sale in Cedar Rapids on Redfin.com
#2. Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 25.1%
- Median sale price: $210,085
- Median household income: $64,092
- Income needed to buy: $53,648
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,341
- See homes for sale in Council Bluffs on Redfin.com
#3. Newton, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 25.7%
- Median sale price: $188,590
- Median household income: $56,321
- Income needed to buy: $48,159
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,204
- See homes for sale in Newton on Redfin.com
#4. Des Moines, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 25.9%
- Median sale price: $216,176
- Median household income: $63,966
- Income needed to buy: $55,203
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,380
- See homes for sale in Des Moines on Redfin.com
#5. Urbandale, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 26.3%
- Median sale price: $387,970
- Median household income: $113,086
- Income needed to buy: $99,073
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,477
- See homes for sale in Urbandale on Redfin.com
#6. Ankeny, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 26.8%
- Median sale price: $373,115
- Median household income: $106,603
- Income needed to buy: $95,280
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,382
- See homes for sale in Ankeny on Redfin.com
#7. Marion, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 27.2%
- Median sale price: $309,416
- Median household income: $87,105
- Income needed to buy: $79,013
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,975
- See homes for sale in Marion on Redfin.com
#8. Indianola, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 27.6%
- Median sale price: $281,129
- Median household income: $78,125
- Income needed to buy: $71,790
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,795
- See homes for sale in Indianola on Redfin.com
#9. Norwalk, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 28.0%
- Median sale price: $345,411
- Median household income: $94,583
- Income needed to buy: $88,205
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,205
- See homes for sale in Norwalk on Redfin.com
#10. Clive, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 28.6%
- Median sale price: $488,700
- Median household income: $131,082
- Income needed to buy: $124,796
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,120
- See homes for sale in Clive on Redfin.com
#11. Grimes, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 28.6%
- Median sale price: $390,739
- Median household income: $104,497
- Income needed to buy: $99,780
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,495
- See homes for sale in Grimes on Redfin.com
#12. Pleasant Hill, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 28.8%
- Median sale price: $326,578
- Median household income: $86,890
- Income needed to buy: $83,396
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,085
- See homes for sale in Pleasant Hill on Redfin.com
#13. Bettendorf, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 28.9%
- Median sale price: $388,717
- Median household income: $102,917
- Income needed to buy: $99,264
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,482
- See homes for sale in Bettendorf on Redfin.com
#14. Waukee, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 29.5%
- Median sale price: $410,750
- Median household income: $106,728
- Income needed to buy: $104,890
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,622
- See homes for sale in Waukee on Redfin.com
#15. Altoona, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 29.7%
- Median sale price: $338,319
- Median household income: $87,123
- Income needed to buy: $86,394
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,160
- See homes for sale in Altoona on Redfin.com
#16. Johnston, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 33.2%
- Median sale price: $447,614
- Median household income: $103,430
- Income needed to buy: $114,304
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,858
- See homes for sale in Johnston on Redfin.com
#17. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Payment to income ratio: 33.2%
- Median sale price: $367,605
- Median household income: $84,925
- Income needed to buy: $93,873
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,347
- See homes for sale in West Des Moines on Redfin.com
