Rent vs buy in Sioux City, IA

In Sioux City, Iowa, the typical home is $200,738 and the typical rent is $1,267 /mo.

Rent

Over 7 years, renting gives you an $8k advantage.

The calculation pairs Sioux City's typical home value and rent with 20% down at today's mortgage rate. The break-even point comes in year 10.

An opinion with the math shown and a clear label. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number and the stamp updates.

Rent is ahead by: $8k
Break-even point: year 10
Actual cost of owning: $1,901 /mo

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The stamp draws on typical rent and home value figures from Sioux City's market for its calculation. Different rent, price and time periods can flip the result.

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In Sioux City, is renting or buying cheaper?

If you include the money you get back when you sell, renting costs $8,135 less across 7 years. For the first 9 years, renting costs less. By year 10, owning has caught up.

Rent. Buy. Net cost by year so far.

Mortgage payment compared with average rent in Sioux City

Every monthly expense in year 1 is shown at Sioux City's typical price. Rent and mortgage payments don't tell the whole story.

Each month, year 1	Amount	What it is
Rent	$1,267	All of it, every month
Mortgage payment	$1,094	$965 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax	$258	1.54% of the value a year
Insurance	$102	Census median for the city
Upkeep	$167	1% of the value a year
Owning, cash out	$1,621	$130 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment	$326	At 8.3% a year, this is what the cash would earn.
Buying costs, spread out	$84	3.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning	$1,901	Cash paid out, minus the equity portion, plus both rows above

The figures behind Sioux City's verdict

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026: $200,738
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026: $1,267 /mo
Down payment20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine does not model: 20%
Mortgage rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US): 7.24%
Home price growthFHFA house price index, Iowa, 1995 to 2025: 3.7% a year
Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 to 2026: 3.5% a year
Return on savings60% S&P 500 with dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025: 8.3% a year
Property taxCensus ACS 2020-2024, Sioux City: 1.54% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Sioux City: $102 /mo
MaintenanceFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%: 1% of value a year
Buying costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%: 3.5% of price
Selling costsAgent commission plus closing costs: 6% of price

What would change the Sioux City result?

Each line shows where the 7-year Sioux City verdict changes, while all other factors stay the same.

Renting comes out ahead when

For this calculation, home prices grow by less than 4.2% each year. The rate used is 3.7%, Iowa's long-run rate.
A mortgage rate that stays above 6.52% satisfies this condition.
A similar home rents for under $1,350 a month (the typical amount here is $1,267).
Your move happens before year 10.

Buying comes out ahead when

Home prices rise by more than 4.2% a year.
You secure a mortgage rate under 6.52% (today's is 7.24%).
The monthly rent for the same home would exceed $1,350.
You remain there for 10 years or more.

Sioux City compared with the other 812 cities

Measure	Sioux City	Median city
Typical home value	$200,738	$422,451
Typical rent	$1,267 /mo	$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio	13.2 (#716 of 813)	18.5
Home prices, last 10 years	6% a year	6.2% a year
Property tax	1.54%	0.87%
Households that rent	35%	42%

Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

More cities in Iowa

Renting wins by $29k: Des Moines, IA.
Renting wins by $74k: Ankeny, IA.
Renting wins by $71k: West Des Moines, IA.
Renting wins by $23k: Council Bluffs, IA.

Iowa rent vs buy: the state's numbers