Moving to Cedar Rapids.
Where to live, what you'll pay in property taxes, who to call for utilities, and what winter really looks like. Everything I'd tell a friend moving here, with the sources.
Four places, one metro.
Most of my clients land in one of these four. They share a job market and an airport. What changes is the school district, the tax rate and how the neighborhoods feel.
The city itself: downtown, NewBo and Czech Village, older neighborhoods and newer edges.
Area guide → Schools: Linn-Mar or Marion IndependentMarionNortheast of Cedar Rapids, with its own historic uptown and plenty of newer subdivisions.
Area guide → Schools: Cedar Rapids CSDHiawathaA small city on Cedar Rapids' north side, close to everything.
Area guide → Schools: College CommunityElyA small town south of Cedar Rapids, on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Area guide → MarketWhat homes sell forRecent sales, prices and days on market. Type any town name into the search.
See the market → BudgetYour estimated paymentMonthly payment with taxes and insurance, and the cash you'd need to close.
Run my payment →School district lines don't follow city limits. I check the district for every address before you offer.
How Iowa taxes a home.
You're taxed on part of the assessed value, not all of it. For taxes paid from July 2026 to June 2027, that part is 44.5345% for homes. The rate then depends on your city and school district.
Rough example: a Cedar Rapids home assessed at $265,000 in the Cedar Rapids school district comes to about $4,540 a year before the homestead exemption. Your assessed value isn't your price, so I pull the actual bill for every home you look at.
| City and school district | Rate per $1,000 taxable value |
|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids CSD | $38.45 |
| Cedar Rapids · College Community | $41.13 |
| Marion · Linn-Mar | $40.38 |
| Marion · Marion Independent | $40.39 |
| Hiawatha · Cedar Rapids CSD | $35.54 |
| Ely · College Community | $35.52 |
Once you live in the home, file with the assessor by July 1: the Cedar Rapids City Assessor for Cedar Rapids homes, the Linn County Assessor for the rest. A 2026 law turns the old credit into an exemption of 10% of taxable value (at least $5,500, at most $20,000), starting with taxes paid in September 2027.
Homeowners 65 and older get an extra $6,500 exemption, and there's a separate military exemption. Both are filed with the assessor.
Who to call when you move in.
Electric: Alliant Energy. Natural gas: MidAmerican Energy. Water, sewer, garbage, recycling and yard waste: City of Cedar Rapids utilities.
Water, sewer, storm sewer, garbage and recycling: Marion Water Department. Electric and gas depend on the address, and I'll confirm them for any home you buy.
Water: City of Hiawatha. Garbage and recycling are private: you pick one of the city's five licensed haulers and pay them directly.
Water and sewer: City of Ely. Trash: Waste Management. Gas: MidAmerican Energy. Electric: Alliant Energy or Linn County REC, depending on the address. Internet: South Slope.
ImOn runs fiber across Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha, and Mediacom and others cover much of the area. Check any address on the FCC National Broadband Map.
The day-to-day.
The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is about 6 miles southwest of the city, with 17 nonstop destinations on five airlines. By car: Iowa City in about 30 minutes, Des Moines in 2 hours, Chicago in about 4.
Big employers include Collins Aerospace, Transamerica, UnityPoint Health St. Luke's, Mercy Medical Center, Quaker Oats, General Mills, ADM, Cargill, Alliant Energy and CRST. The University of Iowa is a short drive away.
Iowa's income tax is a flat 3.8% for 2026. Sales tax in Cedar Rapids is 7%.
January averages a low of about 11°F, and the area gets about 34 inches of snow a year. Budget for a snow shovel or a plow service, and ask about the furnace's age on every home.
NewBo City Market and Czech Village, the Paramount Theatre, Brucemore, Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball (a Minnesota Twins affiliate), the trail around Cedar Lake and the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Check the flood map.
In 2008 the Cedar River crested at a record 31.12 feet, more than 11 feet above the old record, and about 10 square miles of the city flooded. The city is building a permanent flood control system, with full completion projected for 2035.
Look up any address on FEMA's flood map (msc.fema.gov) and get an insurance quote before you offer near the river. The flood walls protect against the river. They don't stop water in a basement from heavy rain, so ask about sump pumps and past water on every home.
Four steps, one trip.
Your job location, schools, budget and timing. We narrow it to one or two areas.
Pre-approval, and an estimated payment with local taxes for any home that fits.
Tours planned around your visit, with notes on every home sent to you in writing.
Offer, inspection and closing, with every deadline on your calendar.
What people moving here ask me.
Which school district is a house in?
District lines don't follow city limits, so a Cedar Rapids address can be in Cedar Rapids or College Community schools, and a Marion address in Linn-Mar or Marion Independent. I check every address.
Should I rent first?
If you don't know the area yet, renting for a few months is a reasonable plan. If you already know where you'll work and what schools you want, buying first saves you a second move.
How fast do homes sell?
Fast in 2026. In June, Linn County single-family homes sold in a median of 4 days. Getting pre-approved before your trip matters here.
Why are property taxes higher in some cities?
Each city, school district and the county set their own levies, and they add up to the rate in the table above. Two similar homes a mile apart can have different tax bills.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (July 2025 estimates); Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors via The Gazette (June 2026); Linn County Auditor, FY2026-27 levy rates; Iowa Department of Revenue (2025 assessment limitations order, homestead exemption, 2026 income tax rate); Linn County Assessor; City of Cedar Rapids, Marion Water Department, City of Hiawatha and City of Ely; The Eastern Iowa Airport; Tourism Cedar Rapids; National Weather Service and NOAA 1991–2020 normals; Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance; City of Cedar Rapids flood pages; KCRG. Rates and programs change. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
Moving here soon?
The first call is free and by phone. You'll leave knowing which areas fit, what you'll really pay and how to make one trip count.