Duluth, MN vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Duluth to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Duluth vs St. Louis 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 $108,938 in St. Louis, MO (+$8,938).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($147 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $17,412 | +$840 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,934 | +$88 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,390 | +$15 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,512 | −$264 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,400 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $10,488 | −$4,364 |
| Total | $43,621 | $40,136 | −$3,485 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.80% |
| 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% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |