Duluth, MN vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Duluth to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Charlotte 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 $111,633 in Charlotte, NC (+$11,633).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($147 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $20,880 | +$4,308 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,834 | −$12 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,130 | −$245 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,752 | −$24 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,000 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $8,740 | −$6,112 |
| Total | $43,621 | $41,336 | −$2,285 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |