Moving from Dubuque to Pittsburgh

Moving to Pittsburgh costs you $494 a month

−$5,928 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Dubuque leftover

$2,985

a month after tax and rent

Pittsburgh leftover

$2,491

−$494 vs Dubuque

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Dubuque, IA and Pittsburgh, PA
Per monthDubuquePittsburghDifference
Gross pay$7,208$7,489+$281
Income and payroll tax$1,666$1,976+$310
Take-home pay$5,542$5,513−$29
Rent$802$1,191+$389
Getting around$496$497+$1
Groceries$347$368+$21
Healthcare$391$414+$23
Utilities$217$230+$13
Everything else$304$322+$18
Left over$2,985$2,491−$494

To break even in Pittsburgh, you'd need to earn

$99,000

Household gross, versus $86,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Dubuque does now.

The tax difference alone

−$2,723

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.1% in Dubuque, 26.4% in Pittsburgh.

More about Pittsburgh

Dubuque, IA in full

A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $955 and 204 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.

Pittsburgh, PA in full

Real city density and a robotics job market, at Rust Belt prices.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Pittsburgh on Pittsburgh wages.

PittsburghDubuque

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Pittsburgh than Dubuque?

A one-bedroom is about $802 in Dubuque versus $1,191 in Pittsburgh. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $494 a month lower in Pittsburgh. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Pittsburgh have state income tax?

Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 3.00%.

What changes if you move from Dubuque to Pittsburgh?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Pennsylvania tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.