Overall
- Grand Forks
- 86.7
- Dubuque
- 87.3
Diff +0.7 RPP
Grand Forks vs Dubuque
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Dubuque is 0.8% more expensive than Grand Forks.
0.8% more expensive
Dubuque, IA is 0.8% more expensive than Grand Forks, ND-MN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.3 vs 86.7). A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks buys about the same as $100,767 in Dubuque; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 86.7 (Grand Forks) vs 87.3 (Dubuque)
- $100k in Grand Forks ≈ $100,767 purchasing power in Dubuque
- Rents drives the gap (+4.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:IA 86.7→87.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × IA
- 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.
Grand Forks
86.7
Cost Index
Dubuque
87.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Grand Forks, ND-MN and Dubuque, IA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.7 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Dubuque is 4.4 points higher. But 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 Grand Forks corresponds to $100,767 in Dubuque.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Grand Forks
- 95.6
- Dubuque
- 93.7
Diff -1.9 RPP
Services
- Grand Forks
- 77.1
- Dubuque
- 81.2
Diff +4.1 RPP
Rents
- Grand Forks
- 59.7
- Dubuque
- 64.0
Diff +4.4 RPP
| Category | Grand Forks | Dubuque | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.7 | 87.3 | +0.7 |
| Goods | 95.6 | 93.7 | -1.9 |
| Services | 77.1 | 81.2 | +4.1 |
| Rents | 59.7 | 64.0 | +4.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Grand Forks 86.7
Dubuque 87.3
Goods
Grand Forks 95.6
Dubuque 93.7
Services
Grand Forks 77.1
Dubuque 81.2
Rents
Grand Forks 59.7
Dubuque 64.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Grand Forks would need to be in Dubuque for the same purchasing power:
| In Grand Forks | In Dubuque | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,384 | +$384 |
| $75,000 | $75,576 | +$576 |
| $100,000 | $100,767 | +$767 |
| $150,000 | $151,151 | +$1,151 |
$ in Grand Forks = in Dubuque
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.7 → 87.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dubuque more expensive than Grand Forks?
Dubuque is 0.8% more expensive than Grand Forks. The overall cost index is 87.3 vs 86.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Dubuque equals $100K in Grand Forks?
A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks has the same purchasing power as $100,767 in Dubuque. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Grand Forks and Dubuque?
Rents in Grand Forks are indexed at 59.7 while Dubuque is at 64.0 (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.