Duluth, MN vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Duluth to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs Detroit 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 $112,624 in Detroit, MI (+$12,624).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($147 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $18,000 | +$1,428 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,896 | +$50 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $4,575 | +$1,200 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $2,316 | +$540 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $9,547 | −$5,305 |
| Total | $43,621 | $40,634 | −$2,987 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $74 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 16 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 34.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 45.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 53% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |