Overall
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 89.2
- Duluth
- 88.8
Diff -0.5 RPP
Sierra Vista-Douglas vs Duluth
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Duluth is 0.5% less expensive than Sierra Vista-Douglas.
0.5% less expensive
Duluth, MN-WI is 0.5% less expensive than Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 89.2). A $100,000 salary in Sierra Vista-Douglas buys about the same as $99,468 in Duluth; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.2 (Sierra Vista-Douglas) vs 88.8 (Duluth)
- $100k in Sierra Vista-Douglas ≈ $99,468 purchasing power in Duluth
- Rents drives the gap (+9.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AZ:MN 89.2→88.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AZ × 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.
Sierra Vista-Douglas
89.2
Cost Index
Duluth
88.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ and Duluth, MN-WI 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: Duluth is 9.2 points higher. 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 Sierra Vista-Douglas corresponds to $99,468 in Duluth.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 96.2
- Duluth
- 95.3
Diff -0.9 RPP
Services
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 91.9
- Duluth
- 87.3
Diff -4.7 RPP
Rents
- Sierra Vista-Douglas
- 61.9
- Duluth
- 71.1
Diff +9.2 RPP
| Category | Sierra Vista-Douglas | Duluth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.2 | 88.8 | -0.5 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 95.3 | -0.9 |
| Services | 91.9 | 87.3 | -4.7 |
| Rents | 61.9 | 71.1 | +9.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Sierra Vista-Douglas 89.2
Duluth 88.8
Goods
Sierra Vista-Douglas 96.2
Duluth 95.3
Services
Sierra Vista-Douglas 91.9
Duluth 87.3
Rents
Sierra Vista-Douglas 61.9
Duluth 71.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Sierra Vista-Douglas would need to be in Duluth for the same purchasing power:
| In Sierra Vista-Douglas | In Duluth | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,734 | $-266 |
| $75,000 | $74,601 | $-399 |
| $100,000 | $99,468 | $-532 |
| $150,000 | $149,202 | $-798 |
$ in Sierra Vista-Douglas = in Duluth
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.2 → 88.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Duluth more expensive than Sierra Vista-Douglas?
Duluth is 0.5% less expensive than Sierra Vista-Douglas. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 89.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Duluth equals $100K in Sierra Vista-Douglas?
A $100,000 salary in Sierra Vista-Douglas has the same purchasing power as $99,468 in Duluth. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Sierra Vista-Douglas and Duluth?
Rents in Sierra Vista-Douglas are indexed at 61.9 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.