Overall
Diff -10.9 RPP
Lancaster vs Dubuque
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Dubuque is 11.1% less expensive than Lancaster.
11.1% less expensive
Dubuque, IA is 11.1% less expensive than Lancaster, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.3 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Lancaster buys about the same as $88,877 in Dubuque; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Lancaster) vs 87.3 (Dubuque)
- $100k in Lancaster ≈ $88,877 purchasing power in Dubuque
- Rents drives the gap (-29.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:IA 98.3→87.3
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE PA × IA
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lancaster would need to be in Dubuque for the same purchasing power:
| In Lancaster | In Dubuque | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $44,439 | $-5,561 |
| $75,000 | $66,658 | $-8,342 |
| $100,000 | $88,877 | $-11,123 |
| $150,000 | $133,316 | $-16,684 |
$ in Lancaster = in Dubuque
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 87.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Lancaster, PA and Dubuque, IA sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 10.9 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
Rents leads the difference, with Dubuque 29.8 points lower than Lancaster. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Lancaster corresponds to $88,877 in Dubuque.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -7.0 RPP
Services
Diff -26.1 RPP
Rents
Diff -29.8 RPP
| Category | Lancaster | Dubuque | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 87.3 | -10.9 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 93.7 | -7.0 |
| Services | 107.3 | 81.2 | -26.1 |
| Rents | 93.8 | 64.0 | -29.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lancaster 98.3
Dubuque 87.3
Goods
Lancaster 100.7
Dubuque 93.7
Services
Lancaster 107.3
Dubuque 81.2
Rents
Lancaster 93.8
Dubuque 64.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Lancaster
98.3
Cost Index
Dubuque
87.3
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dubuque more expensive than Lancaster?
Dubuque is 11.1% less expensive than Lancaster. The overall cost index is 87.3 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Dubuque equals $100K in Lancaster?
A $100,000 salary in Lancaster has the same purchasing power as $88,877 in Dubuque. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lancaster and Dubuque?
Rents in Lancaster are indexed at 93.8 while Dubuque is at 64.0 (national average = 100). Lancaster 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.