Overall
- Dubuque
- 87.3
- Tuscaloosa
- 87.7
Diff +0.4 RPP
Dubuque vs Tuscaloosa
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Tuscaloosa is 0.5% more expensive than Dubuque.
0.5% more expensive
Tuscaloosa, AL is 0.5% more expensive than Dubuque, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.7 vs 87.3). A $100,000 salary in Dubuque buys about the same as $100,451 in Tuscaloosa; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.3 (Dubuque) vs 87.7 (Tuscaloosa)
- $100k in Dubuque ≈ $100,451 purchasing power in Tuscaloosa
- Rents drives the gap (-5.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:AL 87.3→87.7
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
Tuscaloosa
87.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Dubuque, IA and Tuscaloosa, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Tuscaloosa is 5.8 points lower. But rents 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 $100,451 in Tuscaloosa.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Dubuque
- 93.7
- Tuscaloosa
- 96.4
Diff +2.7 RPP
Services
- Dubuque
- 81.2
- Tuscaloosa
- 84.4
Diff +3.2 RPP
Rents
- Dubuque
- 64.0
- Tuscaloosa
- 58.2
Diff -5.8 RPP
| Category | Dubuque | Tuscaloosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.3 | 87.7 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.4 | +2.7 |
| Services | 81.2 | 84.4 | +3.2 |
| Rents | 64.0 | 58.2 | -5.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Dubuque 87.3
Tuscaloosa 87.7
Goods
Dubuque 93.7
Tuscaloosa 96.4
Services
Dubuque 81.2
Tuscaloosa 84.4
Rents
Dubuque 64.0
Tuscaloosa 58.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Dubuque would need to be in Tuscaloosa for the same purchasing power:
| In Dubuque | In Tuscaloosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,226 | +$226 |
| $75,000 | $75,338 | +$338 |
| $100,000 | $100,451 | +$451 |
| $150,000 | $150,677 | +$677 |
$ in Dubuque = in Tuscaloosa
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.3 → 87.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tuscaloosa more expensive than Dubuque?
Tuscaloosa is 0.5% more expensive than Dubuque. The overall cost index is 87.7 vs 87.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Tuscaloosa equals $100K in Dubuque?
A $100,000 salary in Dubuque has the same purchasing power as $100,451 in Tuscaloosa. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Dubuque and Tuscaloosa?
Rents in Dubuque are indexed at 64.0 while Tuscaloosa is at 58.2 (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.