Cost of living in Story City, Iowa

Story City, Iowa has about 3,398 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $215,600.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Story County is $1,061 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Story City. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Ames, IA metro area, prices sit at 88.8 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 Story City'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 Story City bill.

In July 2026, a typical Iowa home paid 15.99¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Story City'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, 52 have higher typical rent than Story City.