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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in West Des Moines, Iowa

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,237 a month.

West Des Moines is a city in Iowa. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $86,594 a year.

Is West Des Moines affordable?See benefits in West Des Moines
People
71,083
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,237
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$86,594
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$309,000
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,360
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area

West Des Moines, Iowa has about 71,083 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $309,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Polk County is $1,360 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in West Des Moines. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, prices sit at 91.7 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 West Des Moines'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 West Des Moines bill.

In July 2026, a typical Iowa home paid 15.99¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not West Des Moines'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, 15 have higher typical rent than West Des Moines.

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 West Des MoinesWhat 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.