Dubuque vs Sioux City leftover
Moving to Sioux City costs you $416 a month
$2,565/mo leftover in Sioux City vs $2,981 in Dubuque after tax and rent ($416 less). −$4,992 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Dubuque leftover
$2,981
a month after tax and rent
Sioux City leftover
$2,565
−$416 vs Dubuque
Compare Dubuque to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Dubuque.
Monthly gap
Dubuque → Sioux City
$416
less / month in Dubuque
$2,565 in Sioux City · $2,981 in Dubuque · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$416 / mo
| Per month | Dubuque | Sioux City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,208 | $7,091 | −$117 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,666 | $1,627 | −$39 |
| Take-home pay | $5,542 | $5,464 | −$78 |
| Rent | $806 | $1,089 | +$283 |
| Getting around | $496 | $547 | +$51 |
| Groceries | $347 | $348 | +$1 |
| Healthcare | $391 | $392 | +$1 |
| Utilities | $217 | $218 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $304 | $305 | +$1 |
| Left over | $2,981 | $2,565 | −$416 |
To break even in Sioux City, you'd need to earn
$92,500
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
+$53
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.1% in Dubuque, 22.9% in Sioux City.
More about Sioux City
Dubuque, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $959 and 204 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
Sioux City, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,296 and 222 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Sioux City on Sioux City wages.
Sioux City → Dubuque →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Sioux City than Dubuque?
A one-bedroom is about $806 in Dubuque versus $1,089 in Sioux City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $416 a month lower in Sioux City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Sioux City have state income tax?
Sioux City is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Dubuque to Sioux City?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Iowa 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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Dubuque and Sioux City moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.