CITY PROFILE
Waterloo, IA
WHAT LIVING HERE IS LIKE
Waterloo is a smaller metro where housing costs are one of the more affordable in our dataset, making it accessible for budget-conscious movers. Expect a warm climate with abundant sunshine and moderate rainfall, creating fairly predictable seasonal conditions. It's a straightforward choice if you're prioritizing low cost of living and don't require a large urban center.
By the numbers
| Typical home value | $200K · Zillow, May 2026 (ZHVI) |
|---|---|
| Typical rent | $1,027/mo · Zillow, May 2026 (ZORI) |
| Average temperature | 20.2°C · warmest 30.1°C · coolest 9.3°C · NASA POWER |
| Annual precipitation | 839 mm · NASA POWER |
| Sunshine (solar energy) | 4.81 kWh/m²/day · NASA POWER (annual mean) |
| Metro size rank (US) | #261 · Zillow SizeRank |
Match scores
- Affordable to buy94
- Affordable to rent93
- Climate comfort97
- Plenty of sunshine66
- Big-city amenities37
Scores are 0–100, normalised across the metros we cover, derived from the sourced figures above (higher = better on that factor). A research aid, not a recommendation to move. Job market, safety, and healthcare access need key-gated feeds (BLS, FBI, Census) not yet wired — see the methodology.
Where to look next
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