?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Marshalltown, IA vs Ottumwa, IA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Marshalltown needs about $86,000 in Ottumwa to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Ottumwa, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $84,000 in Marshalltown.

A few differences

Marshalltown vs Ottumwa · facet by facet
FacetMarshalltown, IAOttumwa, IA
Median home price$127,700$106,300
2-bedroom rent$905/mo$940/mo
Property tax rate1.5%1.5%
State & local income tax5.3%5.3%
Sales tax6.9%6.9%
Cost of living index7373
Groceries index9494
Utilities$150/mo$150/mo
Median household income$69,068$61,103
Unemployment rate3%3%
Crime index38/10038/100
School rating6.5/106.5/10
Sunny days / year200 days200 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Marshalltown, IA · Ottumwa, IA
Questions & answers
Is Marshalltown cheaper than Ottumwa?
Marshalltown and Ottumwa display the same day-to-day cost index; the differences show up facet by facet in the table above.
What household income in Ottumwa equals $85,000 in Marshalltown?
A household earning $85,000 in Marshalltown needs about $86,000 in Ottumwa to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Ottumwa lifestyle costs about $84,000 in Marshalltown.