Charlotte, NC vs Duluth, MN
Moving from Charlotte to Duluth? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $264,350 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Duluth at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $89,579 in Duluth, MN (−$10,421).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Duluth, MN: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 3,404 sqft in Duluth ($195 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Duluth, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $16,572 | −$4,308 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,846 | +$12 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,375 | +$245 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,776 | +$24 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $2,200 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $14,852 | +$6,112 |
| Total | $41,336 | $43,621 | +$2,285 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Duluth, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 87.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 4.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 4.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $4.96 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $264,350 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 6.6% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $147 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $1,381 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.12% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |