Cost of living in Harlan, Iowa

Harlan, Iowa has about 4,891 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $152,500.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Shelby County is $927 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Harlan. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Iowa's prices sit at 87.8 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Iowa taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.9% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Harlan'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 Harlan bill.

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

EIA does not publish a Iowa gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Iowa shares this price.

Among 264 places we list in Iowa with a rent figure, 184 have higher typical rent than Harlan.