Duluth, MN vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Duluth to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Chicago 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 $117,555 in Chicago, IL (+$17,555).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($147 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $27,192 | +$10,620 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $5,215 | +$369 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,550 | +$175 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $2,208 | +$432 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,900 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $14,141 | −$711 |
| Total | $43,621 | $54,206 | +$10,585 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |