Metro FMR · CBSA 26980 · HUD FY2026

Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 0% above the US average.

$961
1-bedroom FMR
$1,141
2-bedroom FMR
+4.3%
YoY change
+0%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,141 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 3% below the US average, lower than 74% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#102
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-3%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$45,640
income to afford it (30% rule)
+4.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Iowa City: #102 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $74,142, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Iowa City in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 175,894 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$880/mo

14.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$961/mo

15.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,141/mo

18.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,587/mo

25.7% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,914/mo

31.0% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·26980

Iowa City: $961/mo 1BR · #102 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 26980

  • CBSA 26980
  • 1BR-FMR $961
  • 2BR-FMR $1,141
  • RANK-MID #102
  • YOY-UP +4.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR +0%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 IA
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 176K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Benton County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $865–$1,057
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Benton County ($232 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Iowa City sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,141 higher than 26% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 26980

Counties inside Iowa City

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 26980, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($962–$1,141, 19% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Johnson County 2BR $1,141 · 153K Washington County 2BR $962 · 23K

Iowa City studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #102 most affordable

1BR $961 (+0% vs US, +4.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 26980.

Studio
$880
US avg $893
↑7.8% YoY -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
$961
US avg $959
↑4.3% YoY +0% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,141
US avg $1,175
↑3.3% YoY -3% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,587
US avg $1,525
↑2.5% YoY +4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,914
US avg $1,756
↑3.1% YoY +9% vs US

How Iowa City compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other IA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Iowa City highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Iowa City: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Iowa City with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside IA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside IA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Lincoln
NE · 2 BR $1,141/mo
Gulfport-Biloxi
MS · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Greene County
AL · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Rocky Mount
NC · 2 BR $1,143/mo

Burden % · outside IA

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Midland
MI · 18.5% of income · 2 BR $1,193/mo
Murray County
GA · 18.4% of income · 2 BR $1,009/mo
Topeka
KS · 18.6% of income · 2 BR $1,057/mo
Enid
OK · 18.3% of income · 2 BR $1,027/mo

Iowa City: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area is $961 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,141 and a studio is $880.
How does Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 0% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $961 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Iowa City rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,141 ranks #102 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Iowa City metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 26980, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $962–$1,141 for a 2-bedroom (19% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Iowa City vs Benton County →

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $961/mo · 1BR IA

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.