Duluth, MN vs Boston, MA
Moving from Duluth to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Boston 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 Duluth, MN, you'd need about $126,625 in Boston, MA (+$26,625).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($147 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $38,532 | +$21,960 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $5,040 | +$194 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,210 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $3,180 | +$1,404 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,800 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $17,694 | +$2,842 |
| Total | $43,621 | $69,455 | +$25,834 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |