Living in Waterloo, IA
Small city in Iowa
Waterloo is a small city in Iowa, home to about 67,000 people, with 185,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Waterloo a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $171k and rents for $1,360 a month
- Low natural disaster risk: 7 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 83°F
- Strong healthcare: 3 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 185,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 23% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Waterloo ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Waterloo: common questions
What is the cost of living in Waterloo?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $171k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,360 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 87, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Waterloo?
Iowa collects about $1,192 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.66% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Waterloo safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Waterloo?
Waterloo has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 32°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 39″ of snow a year.
Does Waterloo get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.5 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Waterloo?
The nearest major airport is DSM, about 94 mi away.
How Waterloo scores
Each bar compares Waterloo with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Waterloo
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Iowa.
Is Waterloo right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.