Calculated payments and savings are estimates. The calculator result does not constitute an offer for a loan and will not solicit a loan offer. Savings will depend on the actual amounts and rate for which you are approved, should you choose to apply.
On this page
Taking Out a Mortgage in Iowa
Written by
, Edited by
and
Last updated November 19, 2025
The cost of a mortgage depends heavily on location, with notable differences from county to county. National averages provide a baseline, but a cost of living calculator comparing everyday expenses paired with local housing data often tell a more useful story.
Iowa mortgage costs sit firmly below national averages. In Polk County, home to Des Moines, the typical mortgage payment was $1,723 in Q1 2025 for a median-priced home valued at $293,998, according to the National Association of Realtors. By comparison, the national median payment was $2,120 on a median-priced single-family home valued at $402,300.
Taking U.S. Census data, NerdWallet has crunched the numbers to help you understand what property tax rate you can expect to pay on your future home in Iowa. Because assessed values aren't frequently updated, you may pay a higher rate at first but eventually you'll pay a similar rate.
County
Avg. property tax rate
Median home value
Adair County
1.10%
$131,600
Adams County
1.01%
$109,400
Allamakee County
0.94%
$156,900
Appanoose County
1.22%
$113,900
Audubon County
1.03%
$99,900
Benton County
1.24%
$189,000
Black Hawk County
1.44%
$179,700
Boone County
1.35%
$171,600
Bremer County
1.32%
$202,600
Buchanan County
1.32%
$166,200
Buena Vista County
1.24%
$138,100
Butler County
1.28%
$146,300
Calhoun County
1.19%
$104,900
Carroll County
1.05%
$162,000
Cass County
1.40%
$127,400
Cedar County
1.12%
$180,700
Cerro Gordo County
1.28%
$145,200
Cherokee County
0.99%
$145,300
Chickasaw County
1.17%
$151,700
Clarke County
1.37%
$127,200
Clay County
1.18%
$151,400
Clayton County
1.09%
$149,500
Clinton County
1.47%
$144,900
Crawford County
1.28%
$118,400
Dallas County
1.41%
$360,000
Davis County
1.38%
$140,300
Decatur County
1.54%
$97,000
Delaware County
1.28%
$154,600
Des Moines County
1.47%
$135,300
Dickinson County
0.85%
$236,100
Dubuque County
1.23%
$224,800
Emmet County
1.37%
$102,700
Fayette County
1.18%
$123,000
Floyd County
1.20%
$128,800
Franklin County
1.26%
$108,200
Fremont County
1.13%
$140,400
Greene County
1.31%
$119,100
Grundy County
1.21%
$166,300
Guthrie County
1.34%
$153,100
Hamilton County
1.21%
$116,000
Hancock County
1.21%
$116,000
Hardin County
1.30%
$109,300
Harrison County
1.28%
$152,000
Henry County
1.43%
$145,200
Howard County
1.15%
$125,100
Humboldt County
1.38%
$134,300
Ida County
0.93%
$108,000
Iowa County
1.23%
$175,600
Jackson County
1.02%
$162,100
Jasper County
1.29%
$163,800
Jefferson County
1.45%
$141,500
Johnson County
1.49%
$274,500
Jones County
1.20%
$165,200
Keokuk County
1.14%
$105,500
Kossuth County
1.05%
$118,800
Lee County
1.32%
$121,000
Linn County
1.57%
$195,800
Louisa County
1.15%
$125,500
Lucas County
1.01%
$111,000
Lyon County
0.90%
$190,800
Madison County
1.23%
$230,500
Mahaska County
1.35%
$135,100
Marion County
1.28%
$192,300
Marshall County
1.38%
$125,900
Mills County
1.15%
$225,500
Mitchell County
0.99%
$149,200
Monona County
1.09%
$108,700
Monroe County
1.62%
$128,000
Montgomery County
1.40%
$99,300
Muscatine County
1.47%
$159,000
O'Brien County
1.15%
$141,900
Osceola County
0.93%
$114,800
Page County
1.33%
$112,400
Palo Alto County
1.16%
$117,000
Plymouth County
1.08%
$199,800
Pocahontas County
1.02%
$90,400
Polk County
1.72%
$252,300
Pottawattamie County
1.48%
$193,800
Poweshiek County
1.11%
$173,600
Ringgold County
1.18%
$143,100
Sac County
0.95%
$119,500
Scott County
1.52%
$196,500
Shelby County
1.03%
$152,900
Sioux County
1.14%
$220,700
Story County
1.47%
$250,700
Tama County
1.28%
$129,400
Taylor County
1.06%
$104,500
Union County
1.61%
$113,800
Van Buren County
0.92%
$107,700
Wapello County
1.51%
$105,800
Warren County
1.46%
$234,300
Washington County
1.24%
$182,400
Wayne County
1.01%
$98,700
Webster County
1.44%
$130,400
Winnebago County
1.38%
$121,700
Winneshiek County
1.14%
$225,400
Woodbury County
1.48%
$178,500
Worth County
1.03%
$130,600
Wright County
1.27%
$105,400
Source: American Communities Survey 2022, U.S. Census
How to use the mortgage calculator
To use our mortgage calculator, add your details to the following fields:
1. Home price: What you're hoping to spend on a home.
2. ZIP code: The home's location.
3. Down payment: How much cash you're paying up front toward the home's price.This calculator defaults to showing a 20% down payment, but you can adjust it up or down by changing the dollar amount or the percentage. This calculator assumes you're using a conventional loan, so it will automatically add private mortgage insurance (PMI) if the down payment amount is less than 20%.
4. Loan term: The default is 30 years, but you can also choose a shorter term.
5. Interest rate: Use today's average APR, enter the rate you've been quoted or use the lowest APR NerdWallet partners are offering today.
That's the least you can do. To get more accurate results, fill in the following four categories. (Estimates are fine, but this goes over how to get more specific numbers.)
6. Property taxes (per year): This is autofilled with an estimate, but property taxes vary tremendously throughout the country. Get more precise by looking up the tax rate where you're planning to buy or looking at the tax history for the home you're interested in. You can change the property tax amount by editing the dollar amount or the percentage.
7. Homeowners insurance (per year): Mortgage lenders require borrowers to have homeowners insurance. Not sure what you might pay? This calculator puts in an estimate, but you can use NerdWallet's home insurance calculator to fine-tune it. All you need to know is the property location and the rough amount you'd be looking to insure — use the home's price as a proxy.
8. HOA fees: If the home is part of a homeowners association, put the monthly dues here. (The calculator default is no HOA costs.) This is also information you can likely crib from a home's listing. One other note — if there are HOA fees but you're going to pay them directly rather than with an escrow account, you can omit them here.
9. PMI (monthly): If you've entered a down payment amount under 20%, this will autofill, since the calculator assumes you're using a conventional loan. PMI is tied to your credit score, so if you want a more accurate figure, pop over to NerdWallet's PMI calculator. If you're using a VA loan, you can zero this out, since VA loans do not require mortgage insurance. On the other hand, if you're getting an FHA loan, you'll have to pay mortgage insurance premiums regardless of your down payment amount. For more accurate payment info, use our FHA mortgage calculator.
The calculator's results will update as you adjust the numbers in these fields. The results show you the monthly payment, as well as:
Loan amount: How much you're actually borrowing in principal.
Total interest paid: How much interest you will pay over the life of the mortgage if you keep it until its term ends. (Most people sell or refinance well before that point, but it's still interesting info.)
Payoff date: If you kept the same loan for its entire term, here's the month and year when you'd own the home free and clear.
There's also a simple annual amortization schedule. Amortization shows how your mortgage payment changes over time. Even though the principal and interest payment doesn't change with a fixed-rate mortgage, the percentage of that payment that's going toward each component does. At the beginning of the loan, more goes toward interest; the closer to the end of the loan's term, the more of the payment goes toward principal. If you want a more detailed month-by-month look, yes, NerdWallet has an amortization calculator, too.
CONSIDERING A REFI? If you're looking to see how much you could save by refinancing your mortgage, try NerdWallet's refinance calculator.
