CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.57° N · 91.07° W · GEOID 1954345

Moscow

Muscatine County, Iowa · part of the Muscatine, IA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_household_income, median_gross_rent, median_home_value

IowaMoscow, IAMoscowMoscow

The short answer

Moscow is home to 614 people. Median household income is $69,396 a year and median rent is $971 a month, 16.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $182,100, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$971
29% below the median place
Median household income
$69,396
14% below the median place
Median home value
$182,100
43% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Moscow

  • Household income has grown 26% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places.
  • 0.0% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Iowa places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 69 Iowa places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 56 Iowa places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Iowa places.
01

Moving to Moscow

Muscatine County loses about 2.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,512
Moved out1,618
Net−106

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Louisa County, IA144163−19
Cedar County, IA89113−24

Within Iowa, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IowaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$55K
Leavers$57K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Muscatine County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Muscatine County report $54,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $56,900.
Income you would need
$38,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $971 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,373 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $182,100.
Getting to work
19 minutes each way on average; 6.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
New Haven, IN matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in6
$54,754
22% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-2.9383% below
Income of households moving in6County figure$54,75422% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$56,88619% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Moscow16.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$38,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.8%
18% below the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
31% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$57,300
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Moscow, $971 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Moscow.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Moscow? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,567
52% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$97129% below
Rent to income116.8%18% below
Property tax rate10.9%5% below
Home price to income12.6x31% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,09332% below
HUD area median income3County figure$92,10014% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,56752% below
Median home value1County figure$182,10043% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.7%14% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure38.4%25% below
Homeownership175.8%14% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,37327% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119641% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Poverty rate1
0.0%
below the median place (median 10.8%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$69,39614% below
Income per person1$44,62911% above
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay5County figure$64,2763% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure1.1%70% below
Jobs5County figure20,98786% below
Poverty rate10.0%below (median 10.8%)
Mean commute1County figure19 min24% below
Works from home1County figure6.4%49% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Household size1
2.2
11% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
90.3%
2% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population16146646th largest
Median age139.51% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure23.1%28% below
High school or higher194.2%2% above
Household size12.211% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure4.3%33% below
Homes with broadband190.3%2% below
05

Life in Moscow

40 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.3 +7%
Shops30.3 +0%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.0 −21%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
16.0
21% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k7
1.9
17% below the median place
Students per teacher9
13.8
10% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure1567% above
Public school students9County figure6,52733% above
Students per teacher9County figure13.810% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure22.37% above
Shops per 10k7County figure30.30% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure16.021% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.917% below
National Register listings8County figure40208% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 13°F, 47% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Moscow. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low10
13°F
47% below the median place
Natural hazard risk11
57.8
38% below the median place
Hurricane risk11
12.9
82% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMoscowAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure85°F3% below
January average low10County figure13°F47% below
Average temperature10County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation10County figure37.6 in14% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure57.838% below
Hurricane risk11County figure12.982% below
Tornado risk11County figure55.032% below
Wildfire risk11County figure60.91% below
Heat wave risk11County figure76.515% below
Median air quality index12County figure430% above
Good air days12County figure66.0%4% below
08

Moscow in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$87,181 (2024)$125,000$105,500 to $148,000+6.2%
Median home value$201,800 (2024)$337,000$245,000 to $465,000+8.9%

The median home would be worth 2.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Moscow

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
New Haven, IN$998$70,970Compare
Wyandotte, MI$972$71,987Compare
Denham Springs, LA$1,014$71,569Compare
North Syracuse, NY$995$71,026Compare
North Syracuse, NYDenham Springs, LAWyandotte, MINew Haven, INMoscow, IAMoscowNew HavenWyandotteDenham SpringsNorth SyracuseMoscowNew HavenWyandotteDenham SpringsNorth Syracuse

Common questions

Is Moscow a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown 26% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places. 0.0% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Iowa places. On cost, space and class size it scores 89 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Moscow expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $182,100.

What salary do you need to live in Moscow?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $38,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Moscow?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are New Haven, IN, Wyandotte, MI, Denham Springs, LA and North Syracuse, NY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  12. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Moscow with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Moscow itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/moscow-iowa

Citytistics. “Moscow, Iowa.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/moscow-iowa/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.