Average Rent in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA and Rent Price Trends

Rent trends in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

Average rent prices in Merle Hay have increased by 1% over the last month and have decreased by 12% since last year.

Rent trends

Rent prices on this page are calculated on a rolling 30-day basis and updated daily.

Compare rent prices in
Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

Rent prices in Merle Hay vary by bedroom size, rental type, and neighborhood. The average rent for an apartment in Merle Hay is $825, whereas a house costs $1,595. 1-bedroom apartments in Merle Hay run $775 on average, while 2-bedroom apartments are $900.


Studio	$725	No Change	11%
1 bedroom	$870	13%	31%
2 bedroom	$1,010	2%	No Change
3 bedroom	$1,595	2%	14%
4 bedroom	$2,100	No Change	-

		Listings
Beaverdale	$1,118
Downtown Des Moines	$1,215
Drake	$930
Lower Beaver	$895
Meredith	$1,197
Waveland Park	$886


Apartments	$825	8%	No Change
Condos	$1,275	50%	-
Houses	$1,595	2%	No Change

Studio

Average rent

$725

Last 30 days

No Change

Last year

11%

1 bedroom

Average rent

$870

Last 30 days

13%

Last year

31%

2 bedroom

Average rent

$1,010

Last 30 days

Last year

No Change

3 bedroom

Average rent

$1,595

Last 30 days

Last year

14%

4 bedroom

Average rent

$2,100

The table above reflects average rent prices in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA, broken down by the number of bedrooms, neighborhoods, and property types. The availability of data for each category is dependent on market inventory and will adjust depending on your selected filters.

How does rent in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA compare to other neighborhoods?

Compare median rent prices in Merle Hay and Beaverdale by all bedroom counts and property types.

Merle Hay

Median rent price$905

54%

lower than the national median

Median rent price$1,118

43%

lower than the national median

Takeaway

The median rent for all rentals in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA is 19% lower than the median rent in Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA.

Average rent in nearby neighborhoods

Explore rent trends in neighboring markets

$1,118

$1,215

$930

$895

$1,197

$886

Discover rentals in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

Franklin Court Apartments - Photo 1 of 1

5d+ ago

8.3

Very good

Franklin Court Apartments

4925 Franklin Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310

1–2 beds

1 bath

$825–$995

Apartment for rent

5d+ ago

Merle Hay apartment for rent in Des Moines

2 beds

1 bath

$825

Apartment for rent

Available Mar 4

5d+ ago

Verified

2 beds

1 bath

$875

Apartment for rent

Available May 15

1d ago

8.8

Very good

6319 Hickman Road

6319 Hickman Rd, Des Moines, IA 50322

2 beds

1 bath

$900

Apartment for rent

1d ago

9.1

Excellent

6315 Hickman Road

6315 Hickman Rd, Des Moines, IA 50322

2 beds

1 bath

$900

Apartment for rent

5d+ ago

Merle Hay apartment for rent in Des Moines

2 beds

1 bath

$1,025

Apartment for rent

5d+ ago

Merle Hay apartment for rent in Des Moines

2 beds

1 bath

$1,025

Apartment for rent

5d+ ago

Merle Hay house for rent in Des Moines

5810 Francis Ave, Des Moines, IA 50322

4 beds

2 baths

$1,850

House for rent

Available May 20

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Frequently asked questions for Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

Quick answers to common questions about the Merle Hay rental market.

How much is rent in Merle Hay?

The average rent in Merle Hay is $905 per month as of June 13, 2026.

Is rent up or down in Merle Hay?

Average rent prices in Merle Hay have increased by 1% over the last month and have decreased by 12% since last year.

How does Merle Hay rent compare to the national average?

Rent in Merle Hay is 54% below the national average, which means renters are paying approximately $1,045 less per month.

What salary do I need to afford rent in Merle Hay?

To comfortably afford rent in Merle Hay, you'd need to earn approximately $36,000/year, based on spending no more than 30% of your income on rent.

Methodology

Rent prices are based on Zumper's rental listings from the past 30 days. Median rent is calculated across all available listings and property types on the platform. If you filter the page by bedroom count or property type, the pricing throughout the page will update automatically to reflect that segment of the rental market.

Household and population data come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Cost-of-living data is sourced from the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index (COLI).