Duluth, MN vs Cincinnati, OH
Moving from Duluth to Cincinnati? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $311,270 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Cincinnati 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 $108,079 in Cincinnati, OH (+$8,079).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Cincinnati, OH: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati ($147 vs $189 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Cincinnati, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $18,900 | +$2,328 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,718 | −$128 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,025 | −$350 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $2,100 | +$324 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $8,820 | −$6,032 |
| Total | $43,621 | $38,863 | −$4,758 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Cincinnati, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 94.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 4.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.36 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $311,270 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $189 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,575 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |