Overall
Diff -0.1 RPP
Dubuque vs Decatur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Decatur is 0.1% less expensive than Dubuque.
0.1% less expensive
Decatur, AL is 0.1% less expensive than Dubuque, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.2 vs 87.3). A $100,000 salary in Dubuque buys about the same as $99,867 in Decatur; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.3 (Dubuque) vs 87.2 (Decatur)
- $100k in Dubuque ≈ $99,867 purchasing power in Decatur
- Rents drives the gap (-6.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:AL 87.3→87.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × AL
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Dubuque
87.3
Cost Index
Decatur
87.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Dubuque, IA and Decatur, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Decatur is 6.0 points lower. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Dubuque corresponds to $99,867 in Decatur.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +2.7 RPP
Services
Diff +3.5 RPP
Rents
Diff -6.0 RPP
| Category | Dubuque | Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.3 | 87.2 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.4 | +2.7 |
| Services | 81.2 | 84.7 | +3.5 |
| Rents | 64.0 | 58.1 | -6.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Dubuque 87.3
Decatur 87.2
Goods
Dubuque 93.7
Decatur 96.4
Services
Dubuque 81.2
Decatur 84.7
Rents
Dubuque 64.0
Decatur 58.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Dubuque would need to be in Decatur for the same purchasing power:
| In Dubuque | In Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,934 | $-66 |
| $75,000 | $74,900 | $-100 |
| $100,000 | $99,867 | $-133 |
| $150,000 | $149,801 | $-199 |
$ in Dubuque = in Decatur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.3 → 87.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decatur more expensive than Dubuque?
Decatur is 0.1% less expensive than Dubuque. The overall cost index is 87.2 vs 87.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Decatur equals $100K in Dubuque?
A $100,000 salary in Dubuque has the same purchasing power as $99,867 in Decatur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Dubuque and Decatur?
Rents in Dubuque are indexed at 64.0 while Decatur is at 58.1 (national average = 100). Dubuque has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.