On a typical Des Moines home, property taxes run roughly $1,800 a year for every $100,000 of assessed value before credits, and the city of Des Moines carries the highest consolidated tax rate in Polk County. To estimate a specific house, take the assessed value, apply Iowa’s residential rollback, then multiply by the local rate.
Here is the math in plain English. Iowa only taxes part of a home’s assessed value. For 2025 assessments the residential rollback is 44.5345 percent, so a home assessed at $250,000 is taxed on about $111,300. The consolidated rate inside Des Moines is a little over $40 per $1,000 of taxable value once the city, county, school district, and other levies are added together. That puts the bill on a $250,000 assessed home at roughly $4,500 a year before credits.
Two details trip up first-time buyers. First, Iowa pays property taxes in arrears, so at closing the seller credits you for the months they owned the home, and you pay the bill when it comes due. Second, the homestead break only applies if you file for it with the Polk County Assessor after you move in. Starting with 2026 assessments (the bills paid in September 2027), Iowa replaced the old homestead credit with an exemption worth 10 percent of taxable value, with a minimum of $5,500 and a maximum of $20,000.
The trade-off worth naming is price versus carrying cost. A slightly cheaper house in a higher-rate city can cost about the same each month as a slightly pricier house in a lower-rate suburb. Do not compare list prices. Compare total monthly payments.
What I typically see in Des Moines is buyers falling in love with the price and getting surprised by the escrow. The lender’s estimate catches it eventually, but I would rather you see the real number before you tour, not after you write.
As one example, the same $250,000 assessed value carries roughly $400 a year more in property tax inside Des Moines than in Ankeny, where the consolidated rate is about $36.68 per $1,000. That is around $35 a month, which at today’s rates is roughly the payment on another $5,000 of purchase price. The listing sheet will not tell you that. The math will. Always confirm the exact figures for a specific address on the Polk County Assessor and Treasurer websites, because rates are set every year.
My Buyer Quick Reference Chart puts the big buying trade-offs on one page. And if you want to see how the real tax number changes your monthly payment, my Buying Power Tracker lets you adjust every variable.
Related Resources: How Do I Spot Water and Drainage Problems in a Des Moines Home Before I Buy It? and Moving to Des Moines: Should a First-Time Buyer Live in the City or the Suburbs?.
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Written by Jason Huffey, REALTOR with RE/MAX Revolution (License S73436000), serving Des Moines and the greater Des Moines metro. Call or text (515) 606-1227. The Best Is Yet To Come.
