?WhereToHQ

Ranked · Renting · Iowa

Best cities for renters in Iowa

Cities of 25,000+ residents, scored with the “Renting” weighting the live tool uses, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability. Scores are relative to this set; open the tool to change the weights and re-rank.

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Top 10 · computed ranking

  1. 1.Marshalltown, IA28k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $905/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $648/mo · walkability: 30/100

  2. 2.Waterloo, IA67k residents

    70/100

    2-bedroom rent: $948/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $651/mo · walkability: 34/100

  3. 3.Davenport, IA101k residents

    69/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,009/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $823/mo · walkability: 38/100

  4. 4.Sioux City, IA86k residents

    67/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,000/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $822/mo · walkability: 34/100

  5. 5.Dubuque, IA59k residents

    66/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,001/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $754/mo · walkability: 34/100

  6. 6.Mason City, IA27k residents

    66/100

    2-bedroom rent: $925/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $702/mo · walkability: 30/100

  7. 7.Ottumwa, IA25k residents

    66/100

    2-bedroom rent: $940/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $703/mo · walkability: 30/100

  8. 8.Council Bluffs, IA63k residents

    63/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,054/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $819/mo · walkability: 34/100

  9. 9.Marion, IA42k residents

    62/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,059/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $636/mo · walkability: 30/100

  10. 10.Cedar Rapids, IA137k residents

    60/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,036/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $738/mo · walkability: 38/100

Methodology: each city is scored 0–100 by min–max normalizing every weighted facet across this candidate set (direction-aware), identical math to the tool's “Best fit” tab. A different weighting produces a different order, which is the point: this is a starting shortlist, not a verdict.

Questions & answers
Which city is best for renters in Iowa?
Marshalltown, IA ranks first with a fit score of 71/100, followed by Waterloo (70) and Davenport (69), using the "Renting" weighting.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each of the 10 candidate cities (25,000+ residents) is scored 0 to 100 by min-max normalizing the weighted facets, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability, across this set. Change the weights in the live tool and the order changes with them.