Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Onawa costs less to live in than 56% of U.S. towns
It ranks #97 of 140 in Iowa for affordability. Up 2.8% in a year, 33% below the Iowa typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Monona County, IA ($68K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, homes in Onawa cost less than the Iowa typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Monona County incomes are lower too ($68K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.29% of a home’s value a year (Iowa: 1.39%), and 54% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $158Ktypical home, 33% below the Iowa typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $990a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$68K, Monona County income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 54%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Iowa: 44%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Onawa?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Onawa’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Onawa is more affordable than 56% of U.S. towns, #97 of 140 in Iowa. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Iowa: up 21.0% in five years, against 25.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 21% in five years
Slower than Iowa (25.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Onawa | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $93,000 | $145,000 |
| 2018 | $97,000 | $150,000 |
| 2019 | $100,000 | $157,000 |
| 2020 | $111,000 | $165,000 |
| 2021 | $124,000 | $176,000 |
| 2022 | $138,000 | $193,000 |
| 2023 | $147,000 | $208,000 |
| 2024 | $154,000 | $215,000 |
| 2025 | $155,000 | $225,000 |
| 2026 | $150,000 | $233,000 |
| September 2026 | $158,000 | $237,000 |
A typical Onawa home worth $88K in October 2016 is worth about $158K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Onawa’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Onawa home, with $93K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $990 a month here, $10 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Onawa’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 $990
Renters already here pay a median of $1,037.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Monona County, IA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
2 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Onawa in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 0.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Iowa (4.7). Over the past 10 years, Onawa has permitted 23 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Onawa's population fell by 92 even though 20 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) | 1 | 1 | 0 | $183,000 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $365,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $230,000 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $671,000 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3 | 2 | $1.7 million |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $160,000 |
| 2020 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $70,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $659,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $85,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $375,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $170,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $450,000 |
| 2010 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $735,000 |
| 2009 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $402,000 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $502,000 |
| 2005 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $440,000 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 11 | 3 | 8 | $636,000 |
| 2002 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $542,000 |
| 2001 | 13 | 3 | 10 | $1.3 million |
| 2000 | 11 | 7 | 4 | $1.4 million |
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 $1,888 (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+”.
Onawa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onawa | B | $158K | $146K | 1.29% | $990 |
Questions about the cost of living in Onawa
Is Onawa expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Onawa costs less than 56% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #97 of 140 in Iowa. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of Monona County, IA ($68K).
How much does a house cost in Onawa?
About $158K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.8% in a year. The Iowa typical home is $237K.
What salary do you need to live in Onawa?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $43,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,000 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $40,000.
How much is rent in Onawa?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $990 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,037 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Onawa?
The median bill is $1,888 a year, 1.29% of the median home value (Iowa: $2,897, 1.39%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Onawa going up?
Yes: up 2.8% in the past year and 21.0% in five years, against 25.9% across Iowa (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Onawa 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.