What salary do you need to live in Dubuque, IA?
Dubuque, IA is one of 387 US metro areas with both a federal price level and Census rent and home-value medians. A typical two-bedroom there rents for $994 a month and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $237,300. This page works out the pre-tax income at which a two-bedroom budget turns Tight, Okay and Comfortable in Dubuque, and sets Dubuque against the rest of Iowa.
Dubuque housing costs at a glance
A one-bedroom in Dubuque rents for a median of $754 a month, utilities the tenant pays included; a two-bedroom goes for $994 and a three-bedroom for $1,233. Over a full year, the two-bedroom median comes to $11,928.
The median value of owner-occupied homes in the metro is $237,300. Against a median household income of $77,630, the ratio is 3.1× — one of the gentler home-price-to-income ratios in the country.
Price levels matter beyond rent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Dubuque's overall prices at 87.3 on a scale where the nation is 100, which makes a $100,000 salary feel like about $114,511 would elsewhere.
The salary lines for a two-bedroom in Dubuque
For two bedrooms, $101,000 is where Dubuque turns Comfortable. Below that, $51,000 marks the start of Okay and $25,000 the start of Tight; under $25,000 the score reads Stretched. Rent at the Comfortable line is 12% of gross pay.
The Royal grade is within reach at $251,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.
Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Dubuque shows the matching grade.
| Grade | Starts at | Rent ÷ income | Home ÷ income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal | $251,000 | 5% | 0.9× |
| Comfortable | $101,000 | 12% | 2.3× |
| Okay | $51,000 | 23% | 4.7× |
| Tight | $25,000 | 48% | 9.5× |
Four salaries, three home sizes in Dubuque
At $75,000 home size barely changes the picture: one, two and three bedrooms all grade Okay, with scores from 53 to 61.
The two-bedroom column turns Comfortable at the $150,000 row. One row up, $100,000 scores 65.
| Income | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 49 · Okay | 45 · Tight | 42 · Tight |
| $75,000 | 61 · Okay | 57 · Okay | 53 · Okay |
| $100,000 | 69 · Comfortable | 65 · Okay | 61 · Okay |
| $150,000 | 81 · Comfortable | 76 · Comfortable | 73 · Comfortable |
How Dubuque ranks among 387 metros
On price level Dubuque is 349th of 387 (1 = most expensive); on two-bedroom rent it is 294th, and on median home value 230th. Rent and overall prices don't line up exactly, with prices in the bottom 10% and rent in the bottom quarter.
Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Topeka, KS ($995) and Grand Island, NE ($994).
Comparing Dubuque with Iowa
Statewide, Iowa's median two-bedroom rent is $989 and its median home value $208,000. Dubuque's rent is +1% against that, and its home value +14%; the price parity is 87.3 versus 87.8 for the state.
Scored the same way, the statewide figures turn Comfortable at $96,000, so Dubuque needs $5,000 more than Iowa overall.
The nearest matches in Iowa, judged on rent and price parity together, are Ames, IA, Cedar Rapids, IA, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.
| Metro | 2-bed rent | Median home | Price parity | Comfortable from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque, IA | $994 | $237,300 | 87.3 | $101,000 |
| Ames, IA | $992 | $246,300 | 88.8 | $107,000 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $991 | $211,500 | 89.0 | $100,000 |
| Waterloo, IA | $973 | $194,800 | 87.1 | $91,000 |
Does the typical Dubuque income clear the bar?
The median household in the metro earns $77,630 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 58, Okay. That falls $23,370 short of the $101,000 Comfortable line, a reminder that the typical household here spends a larger share on housing than the Comfortable band allows. Statewide, the Iowa median household ($75,059) grades Okay on the state's own medians. Since a household can have two or more earners, compare it with a combined income rather than one paycheck.
All figures are pre-tax estimates from public data, not financial advice.
Score your own income in Dubuque
Enter your pre-tax income and home size to see Dubuque next to all 387 metros.
Open the calculatorSource: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional price parities by MSA (MARPP), line 1 "RPPs: All items"; metros per OMB bulletin 23-01, 2024 (released February 19, 2026); downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B25031 Median Gross Rent by Bedrooms (_003/_004/_005 = 1/2/3 bedrooms), 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B25077 Median Value (Dollars), owner-occupied housing units, 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B19013 Median Household Income (display only), 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.