Duluth, MN vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Duluth to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Columbus 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 $108,544 in Columbus, OH (+$8,544).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($147 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $18,288 | +$1,716 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,706 | −$140 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,025 | −$350 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $2,100 | +$324 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $9,711 | −$5,141 |
| Total | $43,621 | $39,130 | −$4,491 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,524 |
| 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% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 24 |
| 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 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |