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Lucas County, IA

Rent vs Own in Lucas County, Iowa

Owning the median home in Lucas County clears the monthly bar: about $780/mo versus HUD's $975/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 2,921.

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Buying is cheaper in Lucas County

Owning runs about $780/mo here, under $975/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $195/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Lucas County

Primary driver

Buying compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Lucas County ranks 6 of 99 Iowa counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 93 other Iowa counties on this measure.

Decision signal 2

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $61,793, and the 1.9x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 2.7% of median income). The monthly gap above is more about mortgage rate and insurance assumptions than about the purchase price being out of reach.

Decision signal 3

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Lucas County's median home ($120,200) carries $1,645/yr in property tax at 1.37%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $780/mo, which undercuts HUD's $975/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $195/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Lucas County from $977/mo in FY2025 to $975/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $2/mo (-0.2%). A falling benchmark narrows the case for buying here, and it usually reflects HUD re-estimating the local market rather than existing rents being cut.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$780
Mortgage (P&I) $608
Property Tax $137
Insurance (est.) $35
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$975
Studio$724
1-Bedroom$743
2-Bedroom$975
3-Bedroom$1,250
4-Bedroom$1,302

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$61,793
$5,149/mo
Home Price / Income
1.9x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.7%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

In Lucas County, once the mortgage ends staying put is close to free: the largest cluster of debt-free households faces a yearly charge under $800, so insurance and upkeep, not the tax office, set what the home costs to keep.

In Lucas County the deduction clusters in the lower-middle of the income scale, $25,000 to $50,000, unusual because barely one return in forty at that level itemises real-estate tax nationally.

Against that holding-cost profile, the monthly ownership stack already undercuts HUD rent here, so the long-run tax bill is an ownership feature more than a reason to keep renting.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Polk County
Home: $262,100 Tax: $4,396/yr
Linn County
Home: $214,300 Tax: $3,547/yr
Scott County
Home: $222,000 Tax: $3,273/yr
Johnson County
Home: $308,600 Tax: $4,681/yr
Black Hawk County
Home: $188,900 Tax: $2,842/yr
Dubuque County
Home: $237,300 Tax: $2,919/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Lucas County, Iowa? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Lucas County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $195/mo. Change the down payment, rate, or time horizon in the calculator and that gap can flip - owning also builds equity that rent never does.
How much house can you afford in Lucas County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $61,793 household here can afford up to $185,379, which comfortably covers this county's $120,200 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the average rent in Lucas County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $975/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $578/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
What is the median home price in Lucas County? ▼
$120,200, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.37% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
How does Lucas County compare to other Iowa counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 99 Iowa counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Lucas County lands at spot 6, putting it in the more buy-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/iowa">Iowa state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Lucas County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 0.2% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →