Overall
88.8
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Duluth, MN-WI
Cost-of-living indicators for Duluth, MN-WI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 88.8
- Overall RPP
- #318
- of 387 metros
- 71.1
- Rents RPP
- $113K
- $100K national buys
Duluth ranks #318 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Charleston
The verdict
Duluth costs less than 82% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 88.8, 11.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 71.1.
- bottom 18%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 95.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $112,653 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $88,768.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index dropped 7.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Duluth overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.2 |
| 2009 | 92.9 |
| 2010 | 89.0 |
| 2011 | 90.9 |
| 2012 | 90.8 |
| 2013 | 88.5 |
| 2014 | 89.3 |
| 2015 | 90.1 |
| 2016 | 88.3 |
| 2017 | 86.5 |
| 2018 | 90.5 |
| 2019 | 90.2 |
| 2020 | 83.1 |
| 2021 | 89.3 |
| 2022 | 88.5 |
| 2023 | 87.2 |
| 2024 | 88.8 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Duluth's overall RPP rose +1.6 points, from 87.2 in 2023 to 88.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 65.2 to 71.1. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$88,768
in Duluth, MN-WI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,384
$75,000 nationally
$66,576
$125,000 nationally
$110,960
$150,000 nationally
$133,152
$200,000 nationally
$177,536
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
67/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
67th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Duluth's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Duluth: rents index at 71.1, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 88.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Jacksonville, NC, Winston-Salem, NC, Fort Wayne, IN. They resemble Duluth across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Duluth's overall index has stayed within 0.5 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Duluth vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 18% higher than 18% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Duluth cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
71.1 RPP
- Services
Services
87.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
88.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
95.3 RPP
What this shows Duluth's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 71.1 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.3. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Duluth's cost comes from
Metros near Duluth's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Duluth (Duluth, this metro): goods RPP 95.3, rents RPP 71.1
- Charleston: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 51.4
- Topeka: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 65
- Ames: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 69.2
- Mansfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 54.9
- Pocatello: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 66.4
- Owensboro: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 55.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
95.3
Below avg
Services
87.3
Cheap
Rents
71.1
Cheap
MN-relative analysis
Goods prices places Duluth, MN-WI near the bottom of MN's metros
Among the 5 MN metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Duluth, MN-WI ranks #5 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Duluth, MN-WI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#5 of 5
0th percentile in MN
Services prices
#4 of 5
20th percentile in MN
Rent prices
#4 of 5
20th percentile in MN
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MN only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Duluth, MN-WI: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (88.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (71.1 here).
Other MN Metros
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 104.8 Mankato, MN 91.0 Rochester, MN 90.8 St. Cloud, MN 87.6
View all MN metros → Cheapest in MN → Most expensive in MN →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Duluth, MN-WI's index of 88.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Duluth's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Jacksonville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.2 · Rents 72.1 Winston-Salem, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 71.4 Fort Wayne, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.2 · Rents 72.3 Manhattan, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 88.4 · Rents 72.0 Fayetteville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.8 · Rents 73.1 Lawrence, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 89.3 · Rents 71.6
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Duluth
How to read Duluth's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $112,653 in Duluth. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 71.1, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Duluth head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Duluth, MN-WI?
Duluth, MN-WI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 88.8, meaning it is 11.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 95.3, services at 87.3, and rents at 71.1. It ranks #318 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Duluth, MN-WI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,768 in Duluth, MN-WI. Conversely, $100K earned in Duluth, MN-WI has the purchasing power of $112,653 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Duluth, MN-WI?
Rents in Duluth, MN-WI are indexed at 71.1, which is 28.9% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Duluth, MN-WI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Duluth, MN-WI's overall cost index changed by -0.5 points (from 89.2 to 88.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Duluth, MN-WI?
The priciest category in Duluth, MN-WI is goods at 95.3, 4.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 71.1, 28.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Duluth, MN-WI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Charleston, Topeka, Ames. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Duluth, MN-WI's 88.8.
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.