Jacksonville, FL vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Jacksonville to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($352,994 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Jacksonville vs Fargo 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 Jacksonville, FL, you'd need about $89,453 in Fargo, ND (−$10,547).
Livability — Jacksonville, FL: 69 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,621 sqft in Jacksonville vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($191 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jacksonville, FL | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,412 | $13,872 | −$6,540 |
| Groceries | $4,813 | $4,850 | +$36 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,130 | −$1,670 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,332 | −$324 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $2,100 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $4,713 | $8,083 | +$3,370 |
| Total | $40,594 | $33,367 | −$7,228 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jacksonville, FL | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.6 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.54% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 11.4% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $352,994 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $191 | $193 |
| Median rent | $1,701 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | -2 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |