Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Duluth's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Duluth?
Your $100,000 in Duluth has the same purchasing power as $119,289 in the average US city. You'd need $19,289 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Duluth's cost index of 84, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Duluth, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously cheaper than the national average, with no fine print and the air is clean, not just clean-ish, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Duluth sits at 84 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 16% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $990/mo against a typical household income of $63,545, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Duluth's air quality index averages about 24 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Duluth is about 17 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
41% of adults 25 and over in Duluth hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Duluth's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is just part of the winter in Duluth. Average temperatures around 12°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Duluth averages roughly 12°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Duluth runs about 81°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 6. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 6 or colder should survive a typical winter in Duluth. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Duluth is at about 1,014 feet (309 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Duluth's reported crime rate of about 3,347 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Duluth's composite cost-of-living index is 84, roughly 16% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Not really — Duluth is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 9 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Transit Score is 35 out of 100. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $58,681 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Duluth runs about $990/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.