What it's like to live in Sioux City
Sioux City is a smaller city in Iowa with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Sioux City deals with crime rates above the national average, hospital ratings below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Crime above national average
- Below-average hospital ratings
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 36" per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Sioux City compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Sioux City
Based on Sioux City's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,952
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,040 a year
- 41% of Sioux City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,360
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 31% below US
$976/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $976 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $173,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $173,600 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 14% below US
3.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 50% above US
495 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 2814/100k · Sioux City Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 33% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.5 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 12°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 36% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
21 public schools inside the boundary
There are 21 public schools inside the boundary and 8 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Missouri National Recreational River (64 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Sioux City's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are crime rates above the national average and hospital ratings below the national average. A year of median rent ($976/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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