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Homeownership is to the American dream. It offers , security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Iowa residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as and fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers and younger generations .

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, 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 .

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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