Duluth, MN vs San Diego, CA
Moving from Duluth to San Diego? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $946,365 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs San Diego 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 $127,024 in San Diego, CA (+$27,024).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · San Diego, CA: 44 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 793 sqft in San Diego ($147 vs $631 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | San Diego, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $35,412 | +$18,840 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $5,112 | +$266 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $5,125 | +$1,750 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $3,804 | +$2,028 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,500 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $21,601 | +$6,749 |
| Total | $43,621 | $72,554 | +$28,933 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | San Diego, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 110.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 6.34% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 71 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $6.30 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $946,365 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 9.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $631 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $2,951 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |