Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between L'Aquila and Waterloo, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in L'Aquila: $1,573 a month against $1,795 in Waterloo, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterloo, IA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in L'Aquila
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L'Aquila Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo, IA
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Waterloo, IA Living Index

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L'Aquila

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,573

/mo nomad

Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in L'Aquila and in Waterloo, IA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in L'Aquila and in Waterloo, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,573 per month in L'Aquila vs $1,795 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

L'Aquila $1,573
Waterloo, IA $1,795

A couple spends around $2,426 per month in L'Aquila vs $2,528 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

L'Aquila $2,426
Waterloo, IA $2,528

A family of three spends $3,279 per month in L'Aquila vs $3,261 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

L'Aquila $3,279
Waterloo, IA $3,261

L'Aquila is about 12% cheaper than Waterloo, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both L'Aquila and Waterloo, IA sit above the global median – L'Aquila by 17%, Waterloo, IA by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.60 €20.11

$16.07 $16.07

40.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.1

$56.6 $56.6

17.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.08

$9.13 $9.13

48.74%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$5.83 $5.83

-68.78%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.72 $2.72

1.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.03 $2.03

-46.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.94

$3.96 $3.96

40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$8.16 $8.16

-46.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.99 $0.99

43.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.41 $2.41

19.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.66 $1.66

34.94%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$3.64 $3.64

-6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.89 €15.91

$13.07 $13.07

36.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$13.02 $13.02

-5.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$17.68 $17.68

1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$4.73 $4.73

-55.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.61 $1.61

19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$3.83 $3.83

-42.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$4.38 $4.38

-35.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.10 $1.10

51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.54

$2.16 $2.16

-19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.92 $1.92

-19.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$1.59 $1.59

-74.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 €5.57

$7.91 $7.91

-20.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$13.83 $13.83

-60.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.69 $2.69

-52.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.79 $1.79

0.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.51 €34.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 €4.72

$3.90 $3.90

36.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.94 $1.94

-26.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.84 €22.09

$43.17 $43.17

-42.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.95 $0.95

111.58%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K €30.6K

$35.3K $35.3K

-2.42%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.7K €31.8K

$25.1K $25.1K

42.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$197 €175

$149 $149

32.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.90 €13.26

$53.2 $53.2

-71.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 €27.90

$60.6 $60.6

-48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.71

$27.11 $27.11

102.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.12 €25.01

Cinema Ticket

$8.45 €7.52

$15.12 $15.12

-44.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$135 €120

$1,706 $1,706

-92.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$23.1K $23.1K

-46.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.4

$19.78 $19.78

402.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.44 €31.53

$14.89 $14.89

138.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.4

$60.4 $60.4

62.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.4

$78.9 $78.9

40.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 €486

$860 $860

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 €383

$740 $740

-41.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$1,368 $1,368

-38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 €615

$943 $943

-26.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,781 €2,474

$1,511 $1,511

84.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,653 €1,471

$1,473 $1,473

12.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,848 €1,643

$3,948 $3,948

-53.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.02

6.69

-54.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for L'Aquila: October 11, 2026

Last update for Waterloo, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

L'Aquila

$431 27.4%

Waterloo, IA

$740 41.2% 71.8% $309

Groceries & Markets

L'Aquila

$320 20.3%

Waterloo, IA

$362 20.2% 13.2% $42

Eating Out

L'Aquila

$295 18.8%

Waterloo, IA

$281 15.7% 4.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

L'Aquila

$243 15.5%

Waterloo, IA

$263 14.6% 8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

L'Aquila

$155 9.8%

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.4% 49.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

L'Aquila

$72 4.6%

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2% 20% $14

Getting Around

L'Aquila

$58 3.7%

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8% 76.5% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $546 in L'Aquila versus $860 in Waterloo, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 114% higher in Waterloo, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in L'Aquila versus $57.0 in Waterloo, IA. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in L'Aquila vs $362 in Waterloo, IA – so L'Aquila wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 L'Aquila

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

13:18 1:18 PM

7 h behind L'Aquila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,753

67,314

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

L'Aquila Waterloo, IA 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

L'Aquila
Waterloo, IA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

L'Aquila vs Waterloo, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,573 in L'Aquila, $1,795 in Waterloo, IA – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,360 per month in L'Aquila and $2,693 in Waterloo, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in L'Aquila, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in L'Aquila and $57.0 in Waterloo, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Waterloo, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in L'Aquila, where all-in costs run around $1,573, than in Waterloo, IA at $1,795. In L'Aquila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterloo, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward L'Aquila – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with L'Aquila. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waterloo, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.