Photo: RifeIdeas · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Nashua costs less to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
Up 3.8% in a year, 18% below the Iowa typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Chickasaw County, IA ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Chickasaw County earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.7 years of area income, and 35% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $194Ktypical home, 18% below the Iowa typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $930a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Chickasaw County income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Nashua?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Nashua’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nashua is more affordable than 94% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Iowa: up 29.4% in five years, against 25.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.4% in five years
Faster than Iowa (25.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Nashua | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $116,000 | $145,000 |
| 2018 | $113,000 | $150,000 |
| 2019 | $119,000 | $157,000 |
| 2020 | $129,000 | $165,000 |
| 2021 | $141,000 | $176,000 |
| 2022 | $155,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $167,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $163,000 | $215,000 |
| 2025 | $181,000 | $225,000 |
| 2026 | $190,000 | $233,000 |
| September 2026 | $194,000 | $237,000 |
A typical Nashua home worth $115K in October 2016 is worth about $194K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Nashua’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Nashua home, with $87K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930 a month here, $290 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Nashua’s typical property tax (1.29% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930
Renters already here pay a median of $756, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Bremer County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Nashua in 2025. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Iowa (4.7). Over the past 10 years, Nashua has permitted 11 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Nashua's population fell by 112 even though 9 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Iowa: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $321,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $420,000 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $550,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $220,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $220,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $225,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $190,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $550,000 |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $665,000 |
| 2004 | 15 | 11 | 4 | $1.8 million |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2002 | 9 | 4 | 5 | $965,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $465,000 |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $385,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Iowa norm
The median bill is $1,673 (Iowa: $2,897), 1.29% of a home’s value a year, against 1.39% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Nashua and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashua | A | $194K | $130K | 1.29% | $930 |
Questions about the cost of living in Nashua
Is Nashua expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nashua costs less than 94% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.7 years of the median household income of Chickasaw County, IA ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Nashua?
About $194K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.8% in a year. The Iowa typical home is $237K.
What salary do you need to live in Nashua?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $52,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,220 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $37,000.
How much is rent in Nashua?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $930 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $756 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Nashua?
The median bill is $1,673 a year, 1.29% of the median home value (Iowa: $2,897, 1.39%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Nashua going up?
Yes: up 3.8% in the past year and 29.4% in five years, against 25.9% across Iowa (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Nashua buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.