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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Ely, Iowa

Simple answer

Typical rent is $936 a month.

Ely is a city in Iowa. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $105,882 a year.

Is Ely affordable?See benefits in Ely
People
2,186
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$936
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$105,882
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$311,900
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,054
Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area

Ely, Iowa has about 2,186 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $311,900.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Linn County is $1,054 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Ely. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area, prices sit at 89.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Iowa taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.9% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Ely's exact store tax.

Some places in Iowa add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.08% of income. That is not a Ely bill.

In July 2026, a typical Iowa home paid 15.99¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Ely's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Iowa in the table we use.

Among 264 places we list in Iowa with a rent figure, 82 have higher typical rent than Ely.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near ElyWhat EBT can buy in Iowa

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Iowa

Bigger places in Iowa

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.