Overall
- Duluth
- 88.8
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 89.2
Diff +0.5 RPP
Duluth vs Sierra Vista-Douglas
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Sierra Vista-Douglas is 0.5% more expensive than Duluth.
0.5% more expensive
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ is 0.5% more expensive than Duluth, MN-WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.2 vs 88.8). A $100,000 salary in Duluth buys about the same as $100,535 in Sierra Vista-Douglas; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.8 (Duluth) vs 89.2 (Sierra Vista-Douglas)
- $100k in Duluth ≈ $100,535 purchasing power in Sierra Vista-Douglas
- Rents drives the gap (-9.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MN:AZ 88.8→89.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MN × AZ
- 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
Sierra Vista-Douglas
89.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Duluth, MN-WI and Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.5 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Sierra Vista-Douglas is 9.2 points lower. But rents 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 $100,535 in Sierra Vista-Douglas.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Duluth
- 95.3
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 96.2
Diff +0.9 RPP
Services
- Duluth
- 87.3
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 91.9
Diff +4.7 RPP
Rents
- Duluth
- 71.1
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 61.9
Diff -9.2 RPP
| Category | Duluth | Sierra Vista-Douglas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.8 | 89.2 | +0.5 |
| Goods | 95.3 | 96.2 | +0.9 |
| Services | 87.3 | 91.9 | +4.7 |
| Rents | 71.1 | 61.9 | -9.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Duluth 88.8
Sierra Vista-Douglas 89.2
Goods
Duluth 95.3
Sierra Vista-Douglas 96.2
Services
Duluth 87.3
Sierra Vista-Douglas 91.9
Rents
Duluth 71.1
Sierra Vista-Douglas 61.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Duluth would need to be in Sierra Vista-Douglas for the same purchasing power:
| In Duluth | In Sierra Vista-Douglas | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,268 | +$268 |
| $75,000 | $75,401 | +$401 |
| $100,000 | $100,535 | +$535 |
| $150,000 | $150,803 | +$803 |
$ in Duluth = in Sierra Vista-Douglas
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.8 → 89.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sierra Vista-Douglas more expensive than Duluth?
Sierra Vista-Douglas is 0.5% more expensive than Duluth. The overall cost index is 89.2 vs 88.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Sierra Vista-Douglas equals $100K in Duluth?
A $100,000 salary in Duluth has the same purchasing power as $100,535 in Sierra Vista-Douglas. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Duluth and Sierra Vista-Douglas?
Rents in Duluth are indexed at 71.1 while Sierra Vista-Douglas is at 61.9 (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.