Des Moines, IA
Des Moines, IA Rental Market Data (2026)
By TrueCap · built by a Philadelphia rental investor
HUD Fair Market Rent (FY2026) for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, the HUD area that includes Polk County, IA: $1,318 a month for a 2-bedroom unit and $1,794 for a 3-bedroom unit. Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent for standard-quality rental units in an area, used to determine payment standard amounts for the Housing Choice Voucher program: a percentile, not an average of current asking rents (HUD). HUD's page for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area says all Housing Choice Voucher programs operated there will use ZIP-level Small Area FMRs instead of this area figure (HUD FY2026). At a stated $265,000 price with the 3-bedroom FMR as a placeholder rent, TrueCap's sample underwrite below comes to −$413/mo cash flow, a 4.7% cap rate, and a 0.76 DSCR. A specific Des Moines property runs on its own price, rent, tax bill, and insurance.
Des Moines HUD Fair Market Rent (FY2026)
HUD Fair Market Rent (FY2026) for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, the HUD area that includes Polk County, IA. It is an area benchmark, not what a specific unit rents for: compare it with current leases for the address. HUD's FY2026 page for this area shows every bedroom size.
| Bedrooms | FY2025 / month | FY2026 / month |
|---|---|---|
| 2 bedrooms | $1,216 | $1,318 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,632 | $1,794 |
By ZIP code: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rent (FY2026)
HUD also publishes ZIP-level Fair Market Rents for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the region that includes Des Moines. They vary by ZIP and bedroom count. HUD's ZIP table lists every ZIP.
| ZIP code | 2BR / month | 3BR / month |
|---|---|---|
| 50021 | $1,680 | $2,290 |
| 50023 | $1,440 | $1,960 |
| 50322 | $1,330 | $1,810 |
| 50319 | $1,300 | $1,770 |
| 50243 | $1,280 | $1,760 |
| 50315 | $1,230 | $1,670 |
| 50125 | $1,150 | $1,570 |
| 50166 | $1,090 | $1,480 |
| 50250 | $1,040 | $1,390 |
| 50029 | $1,000 | $1,360 |
| 50225 | $960 | $1,200 |
| 50858 | $920 | $1,200 |
12 of 111 ZIP codes in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, sampled highest to lowest.
What the HUD FMR pencils to
Sample underwrite at a stated $265,000 price with the HUD 3-bedroom FMR as a placeholder rent — not a listing. TrueCap ran its sample deal with $1,794/mo of rent and every other assumption unchanged.
- Monthly cash flow
- −$413/mo
- Cap rate
- 4.7%
- DSCR
- 0.76
Assumptions: $265,000 price, $1,794/mo rent (HUD FMR, 3 bedrooms), 20% down, 6.6% rate, 30-year loan, 3% closing costs, 1.49% property tax, 0.5% insurance, 5% vacancy, 8% management, 5% maintenance, 5% CapEx reserve. Change any of them in the analyzer and the numbers move with you.
Des Moines rental data: common questions
What is HUD's Fair Market Rent for Des Moines, IA in FY2026?
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, the HUD area that includes Polk County, IA, is $1,318 a month for a 2-bedroom unit and $1,794 for a 3-bedroom unit.
Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent documentation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved September 28, 2026
How did Des Moines's HUD Fair Market Rent change from FY2025 to FY2026?
For the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, the 2-bedroom figure went from $1,216 in FY2025 to $1,318 in FY2026 (+$102, +8.4%), and the 3-bedroom figure went from $1,632 in FY2025 to $1,794 in FY2026 (+$162, +9.9%).
Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent documentation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved September 28, 2026
How much does HUD's Fair Market Rent vary by ZIP code around Des Moines?
HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area put a 2-bedroom unit between $920 a month (ZIP 50858) and $1,680 (ZIP 50021) across the area's 111 ZIP codes.
Source: HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents by ZIP code: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved July 14, 2026
What do 12 months of HUD Fair Market Rent come to in Des Moines?
At HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, 12 months come to $15,816 for a 2-bedroom unit and $21,528 for a 3-bedroom unit.
Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent documentation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved September 28, 2026
Sources & methodology
Data as of HUD FY2026 (retrieved July 13, 2026).
HUD figures come from HUD's published tables for the area. The sample underwrite runs TrueCap's sample deal through the analyzer's own math.
- HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent documentation: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved September 28, 2026
- HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents by ZIP code: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, retrieved July 14, 2026
- HUD Fair Market Rents: definition and uses (huduser.gov), retrieved September 27, 2026
Reviewed by the TrueCap team. See our full methodology.
Three things to verify locally
- Property tax bill. Pull the parcel's current bill from the county assessor or treasurer, and check whether a sale changes the assessment. The sample above uses 1.49% of price; enter the Des Moines bill instead.
- Rental licensing and permits. Check whether Des Moines requires a rental license, registration, inspection, or certificate of occupancy for the address, and budget any fees before you close.
- Insurance quotes. Get a written landlord-policy quote for the specific property, with wind, hail, or flood coverage where the property needs it, and enter that premium instead of a default.
For Iowa data, see the Iowa guide.
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