Iowa
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 8 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 4 categories
Oregon's top income tax rate is 9.9% vs Iowa's 3.8%. Cost of living in Oregon (index 110) runs 25% higher than Iowa (index 88). Property taxes are meaningfully different: Iowa averages 1.42% annually vs Oregon's 0.82%. The median home in Oregon costs $480K vs $215K in Iowa.
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Category wins
8
Iowa
4
Oregon
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A website that showcases small to mid-sized cities has ranked three Iowa cities on its list of Top 100 Best Places to Live. Livability.com included Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines in its newest ranking. The website's list for 2026 focused on housing and the cost of living in each city.