Window replacement cost in Iowa City, IA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (10 windows)
- $4,200 – $14,000
- Per window
- $420 – $1,402
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −7%
- US $9,750
- Rank of 300 metros
- #192
- 1 = most expensive
Replacement windows in Iowa City, IA usually costs $4,200 to $14,000 for 10 windows. That works out to about $420 to $1,402 per window before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $640 less. Building materials run about 6% below the US average here (BEA goods price index 93.7).
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Estimated cost for 10 windows in Iowa City, IA, standard level
$7,150 to $11,100
About $715 to $1,107 per window before permits. Labor is about 27% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $5,100 | $8,200 |
| Labor | $2,050 | $2,850 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $7,150 | $11,100 |
Cost breakdown for 10 windows in Iowa City, IA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,750 | $6,650 | $10,500 | 73% |
| Labor | $1,450 | $2,450 | $3,450 | 27% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $4,200 | $9,100 | $14,000 | 100% |
Why Iowa City prices look the way they do
Labor is 27% of the midpoint bill here, against 27% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is glaziers (50%), carpenters (40%), general maintenance and repair workers (10%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Iowa City the blended ratio comes out at 0.93. BLS does not publish this trade for the metro, so we used the Iowa statewide median.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Iowa City is at 93.7 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $7,100 nationally becomes $6,650 here (midpoint, 10 windows). Permits follow the all-items index of 91.5: $0 to $0.
Data note: 50% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Iowa City. The wage table below marks each row.
Pick a size, pick a tier: window replacement pricing in Iowa City
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Iowa City. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from a few windows (5 windows) to whole house (25 windows).
Basic
$4,200 to $8,150
Standard vinyl single-hung, same openings
Standard
$7,150 to $11,100
Mid-grade vinyl or composite, a few larger units
Premium
$10,100 to $14,000
Fiberglass or wood, large or custom sizes
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| a few windows (5 windows) | $2,100 – $4,050 | $3,550 – $5,550 | $5,050 – $7,000 |
| small house (10 windows) | $4,200 – $8,150 | $7,150 – $11,100 | $10,100 – $14,000 |
| average house (15 windows) | $6,300 – $12,200 | $10,700 – $16,600 | $15,100 – $21,000 |
| whole house (25 windows) | $10,500 – $20,300 | $17,900 – $27,700 | $25,200 – $35,000 |
Iowa City weather and the window replacement calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Iowa City Muni Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For exterior installation, the comfortable months in Iowa City are March through November: 9 of 12. Outside them, January, February and December have an average daytime high under 45°F.
In January, February and December the average high stays below 45°F. Sealants, adhesives and some materials, such as vinyl, are harder to install well in the cold, and short daylight cuts the working day.
Iowa City gets about 36 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are May, June and August (5.3 inches in June). Inside the workable window, March and November are the driest, at 2.2 and 2.2 inches. The station averages about 19 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 1.0 | Cold |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 1.2 | Cold |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.8 | Workable |
| May | 73 | 52 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 5.3 | Workable |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.0 | Workable |
| Nov | 49 | 30 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 1.4 | Cold |
Why two Iowa City quotes can differ
Permit
Window permits are $50-$200 each, or $400-$600 total for a multi-window job, and are often only needed when you change the opening (HomeGuide). No permit fee is included here because many cities do not ask for one on same-size replacements.
Frame material
Vinyl windows run $350-$1,500 each installed, fiberglass $400-$2,000, composite $400-$2,300, and wood $800-$3,800 (HomeGuide).
Window type
Single-hung and picture windows are cheapest; bay and bow windows can reach $3,000-$8,000+.
What local crews earn in Iowa City
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Iowa City the blend is 0.93.
Glaziers (47-2121) carry 50% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Iowa City metro, so we used the Iowa statewide median: $27.56 an hour against $27.44 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $23.13 and $30.17 an hour.
Carpenters (47-2031), 40% of the weighting: a median of $23.89 an hour, 18% below the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $21.98 and $29.70 an hour. About 360 work in the metro. That is 38.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For general maintenance and repair workers (49-9071, weighted 10%) the local median is $22.96 an hour, which is 4% below the national $23.84. The middle half of them earn between $18.61 and $28.99 an hour. BLS counts 710 of them working in the area, 75.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 98.4), so the local bench is thinner than average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (glaziers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $130 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $220. That is a swing of roughly 2.4% to 1.4% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Iowa City has 93,760 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 214th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glaziers (47-2121) | 50% | $23.13 | $27.56 | $30.17 | $27.44 | 1.00 | state |
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 40% | $21.98 | $23.89 | $29.70 | $29.12 | 0.82 | metro |
| General maintenance and repair workers (49-9071) | 10% | $18.61 | $22.96 | $28.99 | $23.84 | 0.96 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.93 | |||||
How Iowa City compares
Of the five closest metros, none is cheaper than Iowa City. Waterloo comes closest at about $9,250.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City, IAthis page | $4,200 – $14,000 | $9,100 | |
| Cedar Rapids, IA40 miles | $4,300 – $14,300 | $9,300 | +2% |
| Davenport, IA60 miles | $4,350 – $14,400 | $9,350 | +3% |
| Dubuque, IA75 miles | $4,350 – $14,300 | $9,350 | +2% |
| Waterloo, IA80 miles | $4,300 – $14,200 | $9,250 | +1% |
| Des Moines, IA110 miles | $4,400 – $14,500 | $9,450 | +4% |
| Iowa (statewide) | $4,300 – $14,300 | $9,300 | +2% |
| United States | $4,500 – $15,000 | $9,750 | +7% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Iowa City ranks #192 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Iowa City is 2% below the Iowa figure.
Elsewhere in Iowa
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | 404,130 jobs | $4,400 – $14,500 | $9,450 | +4% |
| Davenport, IA | 180,450 jobs | $4,350 – $14,400 | $9,350 | +3% |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 139,260 jobs | $4,300 – $14,300 | $9,300 | +2% |
| Waterloo, IA | 84,260 jobs | $4,300 – $14,200 | $9,250 | +1% |
| Sioux City, IA | 75,010 jobs | $4,250 – $14,200 | $9,200 | +1% |
| Dubuque, IA | 58,470 jobs | $4,350 – $14,300 | $9,350 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Iowa City against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT | 93,800 jobs | $4,250 – $14,300 | $9,250 | +2% |
| Oshkosh, WI | 93,750 jobs | $4,650 – $15,100 | $9,900 | +9% |
| Barnstable, MA | 94,110 jobs | $5,150 – $16,400 | $10,800 | +18% |
| Bremerton, WA | 93,740 jobs | $4,850 – $16,100 | $10,500 | +15% |
What nearby projects cost in Iowa City
Jobs that often go together with windows are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Iowa City wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, vinyl siding comes out highest (−8%) and storm door lowest (−10%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patio door | 1 door | $550 – $5,500 | −9% |
| Front door | 1 door | $440 – $2,300 | −9% |
| Storm door | 1 door | $310 – $860 | −10% |
| Vinyl siding | 2,100 sq ft of wall | $7,750 – $23,200 | −8% |
| Garage door | 1 door | $640 – $3,400 | −8% |
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Detailed window replacement report for Iowa City, IA, $9
The report lays out the window replacement numbers for Iowa City, IA line by line, with the local wage and price inputs, permit and timing notes, a quote comparison sheet and the full method. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
Window replacement in Iowa City: your questions
+How much does it cost to replace windows in Iowa City?
For 10 windows, expect $4,200 to $14,000 in the Iowa City area. A standard-spec job lands at $7,150 to $11,100. Small jobs usually cost more per window and large ones less.
+What is the price per window for windows in Iowa City?
About $420 to $1,402 per window for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $450 to $1,500.
+Is windows cheaper in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids is 40 miles away. The midpoint for 10 windows there is $9,300, which is 2% more than Iowa City ($9,100). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Iowa City?
About 27% at the midpoint, or $2,450 out of $9,100. Materials are 73% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 27%.
+What would average house (15 windows) cost in Iowa City?
$6,300 to $21,000. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does windows need a permit in Iowa City?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Iowa City area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Iowa City expensive for windows compared with the rest of Iowa?
Iowa City is 2% below the Iowa statewide estimate ($9,300 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in Iowa; see the state page to compare them.
+What do glaziers earn in Iowa City?
BLS has no published metro figure here, so we use the statewide median of $27.56 an hour, compared with $27.44 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.13 to $30.17.
+What do basic and premium windows work cost in Iowa City?
For 10 windows, basic work runs $4,200 to $8,150 and premium work $10,100 to $14,000. Basic means: standard vinyl single-hung, same openings. Premium means: fiberglass or wood, large or custom sizes.
+When is the best time to replace windows in Iowa City?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are March through November. March and November are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Window replacement near Iowa City
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Window Replacement Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = 65% of the low installed price and 75% of the high one, from HomeGuide's statement that the window unit is 65-75% of replacement cost.