These Are the Most Expensive Cities to Live in Iowa [LIST]

Iowa is not generally considered a very expensive state to live in. Compare any city in Iowa to, say, New York City and, it's not even close how much less it costs to live here.

But that doesn't mean there aren't costly places to dwell here in Iowa.

I've compiled a list of the cities that are quite expensive to purchase a home.

How the Most Expensive Cities Were Determined

Using data compiled by Stacker, I was able to find the most expensive cities in Iowa. One thing that stood out was that the top-most expensive "cities" were far from actual cities.

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They have tiny, and I mean TINY populations.

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We're talking, maybe a few hundred people. That skews results since, if 300 people want to spend a lot on a home, logically, the cost to live in that location will be labeled as expensive.

Something to keep in mind when you see the list below.

Iowa is also loaded with rural living, which would make any list a tad more difficult to compile. Luckily, Stacker made sure to include the metro each city falls in.

Cities Wih the Most Expensive Homes in Iowa

In order to determine the most expensive cities, the following metrics were used:

• Typical home value
• 1-year price change
• 5-year price change

The study is up to date as of January 2025.

Check out the 10 most expensive cities, as compiled by Stacker, and see how many you recognize.

• #10: Swisher (Pop: 904)
  

  - Typical home value: $430,218
  - 1-year price change: +3.6%
  - 5-year price change: +26.3%
  - Metro area: Iowa City, IA

• #9: Honey Creek (Pop: Unincorporated)

  -Typical home value: $432,556
  -1-year price change: +7.4%
  -5-year price change: +64.7%
  -Metro area: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

• #8: Arnolds Park (Pop: 1,110)
  

  - Typical home value: $435,656
  - 1-year price change: +2.8%
  - 5-year price change: +51.0%
  - Metro area: Spirit Lake, IA

• #7: Okaboji (Pop: 737)

  - Typical home value: $455,655
  - 1-year price change: +1.6%
  - 5-year price change: +46.0%
  - Metro area: Spirit Lake, IA

• #6: Panora (Pop: 1,083)

  - Typical home value: $456,545
  - 1-year price change: +4.1%
  - 5-year price change: +34.7%
  - Metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

• #5: Shueyville (Pop: 731)

  - Typical home value: $510,250
  - 1-year price change: +3.1%
  - 5-year price change: +29.2%
  - Metro area: Iowa City, IA

• #4: Cumming (Pop: 501)

  - Typical home value: $524,348
  - 1-year price change: +1.8%
  - 5-year price change: +38.2%
  - Metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

• #3: Wahpeton (Pop: 341)

  - Typical home value: $566,419
  - 1-year price change: +5.9%
  - 5-year price change: +54.4%
  - Metro area: Spirit Lake, IA

• #2: Orleans (Pop: 521)

  -Typical home value: $679,148
  -1-year price change: +3.9%
  -5-year price change: +60.7%
  -Metro area: Spirit Lake, IA

• #1: West Okoboji (Pop: 308)

  - Typical home value: $897,009
  - 1-year price change: +5.8%
  - 5-year price change: +52.3%
  - Metro area: Spirit Lake, IA

Tiny Towns

As you can see from the list, most of the cities have tiny populations. Does that mess up the study? You could argue it does.

READ MORE: Will Iowa Get a Buc-ee's in the Near Future?

Communities with under 400 people are unlikely to attract new residents. But if they're the most expensive cities to live in, maybe that's not a bad thing.

Not hanging around a super small town in Iowa? Check out all of the new Eastern Iowa restaurants & bars that have opened in 2025!