Overall
Diff -0.3 RPP
Duluth vs Decatur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Decatur is 0.4% less expensive than Duluth.
0.4% less expensive
Decatur, IL is 0.4% less expensive than Duluth, MN-WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.4 vs 88.8). A $100,000 salary in Duluth buys about the same as $99,610 in Decatur; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.8 (Duluth) vs 88.4 (Decatur)
- $100k in Duluth ≈ $99,610 purchasing power in Decatur
- Rents drives the gap (-15.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MN:IL 88.8→88.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MN × IL
- 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.
Duluth
88.8
Cost Index
Decatur
88.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Duluth, MN-WI and Decatur, IL 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: Decatur is 15.0 points lower. 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 Duluth corresponds to $99,610 in Decatur.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -1.7 RPP
Services
Diff +3.8 RPP
Rents
Diff -15.0 RPP
| Category | Duluth | Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.8 | 88.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 95.3 | 93.6 | -1.7 |
| Services | 87.3 | 91.1 | +3.8 |
| Rents | 71.1 | 56.2 | -15.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Duluth 88.8
Decatur 88.4
Goods
Duluth 95.3
Decatur 93.6
Services
Duluth 87.3
Decatur 91.1
Rents
Duluth 71.1
Decatur 56.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Duluth would need to be in Decatur for the same purchasing power:
| In Duluth | In Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,805 | $-195 |
| $75,000 | $74,708 | $-292 |
| $100,000 | $99,610 | $-390 |
| $150,000 | $149,415 | $-585 |
$ in Duluth = in Decatur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.8 → 88.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decatur more expensive than Duluth?
Decatur is 0.4% less expensive than Duluth. The overall cost index is 88.4 vs 88.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Decatur equals $100K in Duluth?
A $100,000 salary in Duluth has the same purchasing power as $99,610 in Decatur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Duluth and Decatur?
Rents in Duluth are indexed at 71.1 while Decatur is at 56.2 (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.