Lake Mills, IA Housing Affordability Index
Lake Mills, Iowa has an MBR Housing Affordability Index score of 185.7 (Highly Affordable) as of October 30, 2026, ranking 355th most affordable of 891 scored Iowa cities, compared with 126.4 statewide and 97.4 nationally. On a median-priced $122,600 home with 20% down, the Iowa average 30-year fixed rate of 7.17% means a monthly principal and interest payment of about $664, or 13% of the city’s $61,875 median household income.
The MBR Housing Affordability Index (MBR-HAI) for Lake Mills is updated every night from live Iowa mortgage rates and U.S. Census Bureau income, home value and housing cost data for the city. A score of 100 equals the national average; higher scores mean homeownership is more affordable.
Lake Mills is 59.3 points above the Iowa score. Scores as of October 30, 2026. See the Iowa index
View Lake Mills Mortgage RatesSee What You Can Afford in Lake Mills, Iowa
Use this Lake Mills, Iowa home affordability calculator to see how much house you can afford at today’s Iowa average 30-year mortgage rate of 7.17%. A household earning the Lake Mills median income of $61,875, with no other debts and $25,000 down, can afford a home of about $183,066, compared with a median home value of $122,600. Buying the median priced home with 20% down takes a household income of about $37,300 once property tax and insurance are counted.
| Loan amount | $158,066 |
| Principal & interest | $1,070/mo |
| Property tax | $232/mo |
| Home insurance | $76/mo |
| PMI | $66/mo |
| Total monthly payment | $1,444/mo |
How much house can you afford in Lake Mills?
Most lenders use two limits. Your housing payment, including principal, interest, property tax, homeowners insurance and any PMI, should stay under about 28% of your gross monthly income, and all of your monthly debt payments together should stay under about 36%. The calculator takes whichever limit is lower, then works backward from that payment to the most expensive home it covers at the current rate.
In Lake Mills, property taxes run about 1.52% of a home’s value each year, based on the Census median tax bill, which counts against the same monthly budget as the mortgage. Each quarter point move in mortgage rates changes the price you can afford by roughly $2,971 for a median income household. A larger down payment, paying down other debts, or a lower rate from a local lender all raise your budget.
What It Takes to Buy in Lake Mills
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024) for Lake Mills, Iowa. The rate is the Iowa average 30-year fixed rate from MonitorBankRates, since lenders publish rates by state.
How Lake Mills Ranks in Iowa
Cite the Lake Mills Score
Explore Further
Scores update each morning, computed from rate data captured the previous night. Score of 100 = national average at a 6.5% reference rate.
