City comparison
Duluth, MN is about 200 miles (300 km) from Rochester, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Duluth, MN to Rochester, MN takes about 23 min, covering roughly 200 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Rochester has a population of 120,848, vs 86,772 in Duluth — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Duluth covers about 72 sq mi vs 57 sq mi for Rochester.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Duluth | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $990/mo | $1,218/mo | 23.0% higher in Rochester |
| Median home value | $209,800 | $268,800 | 28.1% higher in Rochester |
| Median household income | $63,545 | $83,973 | 32.1% higher in Rochester |
| Groceries index | 95.4 | 95.5 | ≈ equal (Rochester slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 87.7 | 87.8 | ≈ equal (Rochester slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 92.6 | 92.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 92.8 | 92.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Duluth, you'd need $104,294 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Duluth, MN is about 4.1% cheaper overall than Rochester, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Rochester than in Duluth. If you earn $80,000 in Duluth, you'd need about $83,436 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.