Des Moines, IA housing market
Typical home value
$208K
▼ 0.3% 1 yr
Typical rent
$1,129/mo
▲ 1.0% 1 yr
Gross rent yield
6.5%
U.S. 6.3%
5-year home value change
+20%
U.S. +20%
Key takeaways
- 1The typical home in Des Moines is worth $208,053, down 0.3% over the past year and up 20% over five years.
- 2Typical rent is $1,129 a month (+1.0% YoY), a gross rent yield of 6.5% (above the Des Moines, IA metro's 5.3%).
- 3With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest on the typical home is about $1,143/mo, $14 more than typical rent.
- 4Zillow forecasts the Des Moines, IA metro's home values to change +1.6% over the next 12 months.
Market temperature (Des Moines, IA metro)
Buyer's market
Buyer'sNeutralSeller's
Zillow Market Heat Index: 28/100, #466 hottest of 546 metros. Below 44 favors buyers; above 55 favors sellers.
Home values and rent
Source: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI and market activity data).
How Des Moines compares
| Measure | Des Moines | Des Moines, IA metro | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $208,053 | $292,513 | $366,157 |
| Home value, 1-yr change | −0.3% | +0.5% | +1.2% |
| Typical rent | $1,129 | $1,280 | $1,932 |
| Rent, 1-yr change | +1.0% | +2.2% | +2.7% |
| Gross rent yield | 6.5% | 5.3% | 6.3% |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 15.4 | 19.0 | 15.8 |
| Mortgage P&I, typical home | $1,143 | $1,607 | $2,012 |
Run the numbers
Rental property calculator
Cash flow on a typical Des Moines rental, pre-filled.
Rent vs buy in Des Moines
Which costs less over the years you'll stay.
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment on a $208K home.
Other cities in the Des Moines, IA metro
West Des Moines, IA
$321K home$1,353 rent
▲ 0.4% 1 yr
Ankeny, IA
$339K home$1,464 rent
▲ 0.6% 1 yr
Urbandale, IA
$350K home$1,038 rent
▲ 0.2% 1 yr
Waukee, IA
$345K home$1,640 rent
▼ 1.5% 1 yr
Grimes, IA
$349K home$1,396 rent
▼ 0.9% 1 yr
City figures are Zillow's typical home value (ZHVI) and observed rent (ZORI). Gross yield is before expenses. Data refreshed Oct 26, 2026.