Average Rent in Iowa (2026) — HUD Fair Market Rents
The average two-bedroom rent in Iowa is $1,097 per month by HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent data (population-weighted); two-bedroom FMRs range from $919 to $1,368 across 92 rent areas.
Fair Market Rent is HUD's annual estimate of what a modest rental costs in each local market — the 40th percentile of gross rents (rent plus tenant-paid utilities) for recent movers, published for studio through four-bedroom units and used to set Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. FMRs are a federal benchmark, not an asking-rent average: use them to sanity-check your pricing (statewide, Iowa's typical two-bedroom FMR moved +6.8% versus FY 2025).
All 92 Iowa FMR areas
Sorted by two-bedroom rent, highest first. 15 metro areas; the rest are non-metro county areas. "vs FY 2025" is the two-bedroom change from last year's FMR for the same area.
| Area | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2 BR vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 3 countiesHarrison County · Mills County · Pottawattamie County | $1,090 | $1,148 | $1,368 | $1,813 | $2,046 | +8.5% |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 5 countiesDallas County · Guthrie County · Madison County · Polk County · Warren County | $1,063 | $1,109 | $1,318 | $1,794 | $1,841 | +8.4% |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA Metro | $796 | $925 | $1,154 | $1,386 | $1,528 | +10.6% |
| Ames, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $972 | $1,026 | $1,153 | $1,601 | $1,934 | +9.2% |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA Metro | $817 | $928 | $1,143 | $1,498 | $1,819 | +11.5% |
| Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $880 | $961 | $1,141 | $1,587 | $1,914 | +3.3% |
| Dickinson County, IA Non-metro | $826 | $831 | $1,091 | $1,314 | $1,445 | +3.2% |
| Jefferson County, IA Non-metro | $821 | $826 | $1,084 | $1,300 | $1,435 | +5.0% |
| Dubuque, IA MSA Metro | $774 | $841 | $1,077 | $1,450 | $1,807 | +8.1% |
| Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $738 | $816 | $1,071 | $1,490 | $1,797 | +7.9% |
| Muscatine County, IA Non-metro | $795 | $858 | $1,071 | $1,374 | $1,605 | +3.9% |
| Wapello County, IA Non-metro | $793 | $814 | $1,068 | $1,354 | $1,468 | +4.9% |
| Des Moines County, IA Non-metro | $733 | $810 | $1,063 | $1,369 | $1,426 | -0.8% |
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 2 countiesBlack Hawk County · Grundy County | $725 | $801 | $1,051 | $1,357 | $1,763 | +5.4% |
| Davis County, IA Non-metro | $774 | $795 | $1,043 | $1,251 | $1,392 | +7.4% |
| Boone County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $783 | $788 | $1,026 | $1,427 | $1,500 | +10.3% |
| Marion County, IA Non-metro | $701 | $808 | $1,016 | $1,218 | $1,356 | +4.1% |
| Buena Vista County, IA Non-metro | $765 | $770 | $1,010 | $1,240 | $1,337 | +5.9% |
| Jasper County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $784 | $789 | $1,008 | $1,348 | $1,372 | +9.6% |
| Hamilton County, IA Non-metro | $738 | $791 | $994 | $1,192 | $1,316 | +4.1% |
| Poweshiek County, IA Non-metro | $733 | $853 | $988 | $1,303 | $1,308 | +5.8% |
| Plymouth County, IA Non-metro | $767 | $772 | $980 | $1,287 | $1,366 | +8.9% |
| Bremer County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $674 | $745 | $978 | $1,290 | $1,295 | +6.3% |
| Lucas County, IA Non-metro | $724 | $743 | $975 | $1,250 | $1,302 | -0.2% |
| Sioux County, IA Non-metro | $735 | $740 | $971 | $1,246 | $1,351 | +7.4% |
| Cedar County, IA Non-metro | $717 | $736 | $966 | $1,259 | $1,279 | +3.9% |
| Lee County, IA Non-metro | $663 | $733 | $962 | $1,270 | $1,330 | +4.5% |
| Washington County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $728 | $733 | $962 | $1,191 | $1,274 | +9.1% |
| Marshall County, IA Non-metro | $712 | $731 | $959 | $1,265 | $1,270 | +0.1% |
| Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $659 | $729 | $956 | $1,209 | $1,348 | +9.0% |
| Clinton County, IA Non-metro | $659 | $729 | $956 | $1,184 | $1,507 | +0.8% |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA Non-metro | $746 | $750 | $949 | $1,226 | $1,446 | +3.5% |
| Mahaska County, IA Non-metro | $717 | $722 | $947 | $1,135 | $1,254 | +5.3% |
| Buchanan County, IA Non-metro | $713 | $718 | $942 | $1,281 | $1,468 | +2.3% |
| Tama County, IA Non-metro | $698 | $717 | $941 | $1,174 | $1,330 | +2.8% |
| Henry County, IA Non-metro | $647 | $716 | $939 | $1,242 | $1,360 | +5.5% |
| Adams County, IA Non-metro | $692 | $711 | $933 | $1,217 | $1,235 | +1.2% |
| Adair County, IA Non-metro | $687 | $706 | $926 | $1,201 | $1,285 | +5.6% |
| Allamakee County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $754 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,399 | +4.8% |
| Appanoose County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,306 | +4.8% |
| Audubon County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $838 | $919 | $1,160 | $1,423 | +4.8% |
| Butler County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,367 | +4.8% |
| Calhoun County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $736 | $919 | $1,162 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Carroll County, IA Non-metro | $775 | $788 | $919 | $1,162 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Cass County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $710 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,496 | +4.8% |
| Cherokee County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $811 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,414 | +4.8% |
| Chickasaw County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $778 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,293 | +4.8% |
| Clarke County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $803 | $919 | $1,222 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Clay County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,198 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Clayton County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,127 | $1,304 | +4.8% |
| Crawford County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $788 | $919 | $1,212 | $1,451 | +4.8% |
| Decatur County, IA Non-metro | $634 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,542 | +4.8% |
| Delaware County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $838 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Emmet County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $771 | $919 | $1,222 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Fayette County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $723 | $919 | $1,210 | $1,439 | +4.8% |
| Floyd County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,192 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Franklin County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,168 | $1,542 | +4.8% |
| Fremont County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $708 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,379 | +4.8% |
| Greene County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,486 | +4.8% |
| Hancock County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $745 | $919 | $1,170 | $1,542 | +4.8% |
| Hardin County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,208 | $1,347 | +4.8% |
| Howard County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $838 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,476 | +4.8% |
| Humboldt County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $798 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,436 | +4.8% |
| Ida County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $764 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Iowa County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $709 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,452 | +4.8% |
| Jackson County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,178 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Jones County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $634 | $711 | $919 | $1,212 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Keokuk County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $764 | $919 | $1,178 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Kossuth County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Louisa County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,124 | $1,223 | +4.8% |
| Lyon County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Mitchell County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $774 | $919 | $1,156 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Monona County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,145 | $1,542 | +4.8% |
| Monroe County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,222 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Montgomery County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $838 | $919 | $1,265 | $1,319 | +4.8% |
| O'Brien County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,111 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Osceola County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,212 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Page County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,147 | $1,225 | +4.8% |
| Palo Alto County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,222 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Pocahontas County, IA Non-metro | $658 | $700 | $919 | $1,125 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Ringgold County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $748 | $919 | $1,125 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Sac County, IA Non-metro | $786 | $791 | $919 | $1,226 | $1,231 | +4.8% |
| Shelby County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $838 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,309 | +4.8% |
| Taylor County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,116 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Union County, IA Non-metro | $634 | $700 | $919 | $1,212 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Van Buren County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $713 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,510 | +4.8% |
| Wayne County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $734 | $919 | $1,193 | $1,227 | +4.8% |
| Webster County, IA Non-metro | $696 | $700 | $919 | $1,182 | $1,542 | +4.8% |
| Winnebago County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $731 | $919 | $1,222 | $1,392 | +4.8% |
| Winneshiek County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,212 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
| Worth County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,278 | $1,364 | +4.8% |
| Wright County, IA Non-metro | $682 | $700 | $919 | $1,102 | $1,217 | +4.8% |
Download this table as CSV — every area, studio through 4-bedroom, with county lists and year-over-year change.
About this data
Source: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, county-level file (revised), published at huduser.gov — a U.S. government work in the public domain, republished here unmodified. The typical-rent figure is the population-weighted average across the areas above (county populations from HUD's file); year-over-year comparisons match each area with last year's file by HUD area code. Effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026; last regenerated from HUD's file on 2026-07-20. FMRs cap what a housing authority can pay under the voucher program; your local Public Housing Authority's payment standard may be set between 90% and 110% of FMR. Full method notes: how the rent figures are computed.
Related on Landlord Atlas
- Iowa landlord-tenant laws — security deposits, rent increase notice, late fees, and entry rules, cited to statute.
- Rental profitability calculator — test a Iowa property's cash flow against its county's FMR.
- Rent increase notice creator — moving rent toward market? Generate a state-aware notice.