Overall
Diff +0.3 RPP
Decatur vs Duluth
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Duluth is 0.4% more expensive than Decatur.
0.4% more expensive
Duluth, MN-WI is 0.4% more expensive than Decatur, IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 88.4). A $100,000 salary in Decatur buys about the same as $100,391 in Duluth; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.4 (Decatur) vs 88.8 (Duluth)
- $100k in Decatur ≈ $100,391 purchasing power in Duluth
- Rents drives the gap (+15.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IL:MN 88.4→88.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IL × MN
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Decatur
88.4
Cost Index
Duluth
88.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Decatur, IL and Duluth, MN-WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Duluth is 15.0 points higher. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Decatur corresponds to $100,391 in Duluth.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +1.7 RPP
Services
Diff -3.8 RPP
Rents
Diff +15.0 RPP
| Category | Decatur | Duluth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.4 | 88.8 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 95.3 | +1.7 |
| Services | 91.1 | 87.3 | -3.8 |
| Rents | 56.2 | 71.1 | +15.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Decatur 88.4
Duluth 88.8
Goods
Decatur 93.6
Duluth 95.3
Services
Decatur 91.1
Duluth 87.3
Rents
Decatur 56.2
Duluth 71.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Decatur would need to be in Duluth for the same purchasing power:
| In Decatur | In Duluth | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,196 | +$196 |
| $75,000 | $75,293 | +$293 |
| $100,000 | $100,391 | +$391 |
| $150,000 | $150,587 | +$587 |
$ in Decatur = in Duluth
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.4 → 88.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Duluth more expensive than Decatur?
Duluth is 0.4% more expensive than Decatur. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 88.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Duluth equals $100K in Decatur?
A $100,000 salary in Decatur has the same purchasing power as $100,391 in Duluth. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Decatur and Duluth?
Rents in Decatur are indexed at 56.2 while Duluth is at 71.1 (national average = 100). Duluth has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.