Cost of Living in Ottumwa
Ottumwa's cost of living runs genuinely low in housing, backed by Iowa's low flat income tax, though property tax runs meaningfully above both national and statewide norms.
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Learn moreGenuinely affordable housing
Ottumwa's typical home value ran approximately $109,760, up a modest 3.1% year-over-year -- among the most affordable of this project's Iowa Tier A markets (base record).
Iowa's low flat state income tax
Iowa's real, current flat 3.8% state income tax applies statewide (base record).
Ottumwa's above-both-medians property tax rate
Ottumwa's own median effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.85% -- above both the national median (~1.02%) and Iowa's own elevated statewide median (~1.55%), and even above Wapello County's own broader median (1.66%) (base record).
Key takeaways
- Ottumwa's housing runs among the most genuinely affordable of Iowa's Tier A markets.
- Iowa's flat 3.8% state income tax is genuinely low.
- Ottumwa's effective property tax rate (~1.85%) runs above both national and Iowa statewide medians.
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