Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

87

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo, IA
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Waterloo, IA Living Index
76

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

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Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,795

/mo nomad

L'Aquila

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Waterloo, IA costs about 14% more than L'Aquila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.07 $16.07

$22.60 €20.11

-28.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 $56.6

$66.4 €59.1

-14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$13.58 €12.08

-32.77%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$1.82 €1.62

220.33%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$2.77 €2.47

-1.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.09 €0.97

86.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 $3.96

$5.56 €4.94

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.35 €3.87

87.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.42 €1.27

-30.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.88 €2.56

-16.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.24 €2.00

-25.89%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$3.39 €3.02

7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$17.89 €15.91

-26.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$12.31 €10.95

5.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$17.90 €15.92

-1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.09 €1.86

126.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.92 €1.71

-16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.19 €1.94

74.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.84 €2.53

54.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.67 €1.48

-34.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.74 €1.54

24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.55 €1.38

23.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.40 €0.35

297.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 $7.91

$6.26 €5.57

26.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$5.52 €4.91

150.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.27 €1.13

111.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.80 €1.60

-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)

$3.90 $3.90

$5.31 €4.72

-26.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.43 €1.27

35.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.17 $43.17

$24.84 €22.09

73.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.01 €1.79

-52.74%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$34.4K €30.6K

2.48%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$35.7K €31.8K

-29.80%

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

$149 $149

$197 €175

-24.40%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$14.90 €13.26

256.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$31.36 €27.90

93.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 $27.11

$54.8 €48.71

-50.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.12 €25.01

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$8.45 €7.52

78.93%

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

$1,706 $1,706

$135 €120

1165.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$12.4K €11.1K

86.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.78 $19.78

$99.4 €88.4

-80.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.89 $14.89

$35.44 €31.53

-57.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 $60.4

$98.3 €87.4

-38.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$111 €98.4

-28.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 $860

$546 €486

57.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 $740

$431 €383

71.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 $1,368

$842 €749

62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 $943

$691 €615

36.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,511 $1,511

$2,781 €2,474

-45.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,653 €1,471

-10.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,948 $3,948

$1,848 €1,643

113.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

3.02

121.52%

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

Last update for Waterloo, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for L'Aquila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterloo, IA

$740 41.2%

L'Aquila

$431 27.4% 41.8% $309

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo, IA

$362 20.2%

L'Aquila

$320 20.3% 11.6% $42

Eating Out

Waterloo, IA

$281 15.7%

L'Aquila

$295 18.8% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo, IA

$263 14.6%

L'Aquila

$243 15.5% 7.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.4%

L'Aquila

$155 9.8% 97.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2%

L'Aquila

$72 4.6% 24.9% $14

Getting Around

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8%

L'Aquila

$58 3.7% 325% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $860 in Waterloo, IA versus $546 in L'Aquila. 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 $57.0 in Waterloo, IA versus $66.0 in L'Aquila. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Waterloo, IA vs $320 in L'Aquila – so L'Aquila wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🇮🇹 L'Aquila

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

7 h ahead of Waterloo, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,314

69,753

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Waterloo, IA
L'Aquila

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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,693 per month in Waterloo, IA and $2,360 in L'Aquila. 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 $57.0 in Waterloo, IA and $66.0 in L'Aquila. 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.