Duluth, MN vs Denver, CO
Moving from Duluth to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Denver 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 $121,320 in Denver, CO (+$21,320).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($147 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $22,920 | +$6,348 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $5,079 | +$233 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $4,050 | +$675 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,788 | +$12 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,800 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $9,828 | −$5,024 |
| Total | $43,621 | $46,464 | +$2,843 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |