2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$78,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-21.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$5,277
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$6,900
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,623/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,748
Target Market
Destination Location

Duluth, MN-WI

COL 96.9
Gross Parity Income $78,800
Federal Income Tax -$8,506
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,028
State Income Tax -$3,835
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $60,431
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $48,899

EPI family budgets put living costs 21.2% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $78,800 in Duluth. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $961 in Duluth, $6,900 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,277 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Duluth. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,623 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $50,000 in Duluth.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Duluth (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$961-$575-37.4%
Food & Groceries$342$358+$16+4.7%
Transportation$1,011$1,081+$70+6.9%
Healthcare$459$442-$17-3.7%
Other Necessities$582$354-$228-39.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,175+$440+25.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$575/mo (-37.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Duluth: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$600/mo (-33.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Duluth: $1,207/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.76/hr (-21.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Duluth: $21.44/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.05/hr (-8.9%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Duluth: $20.87/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Duluth Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$85,930-$25,080 (-22.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$96,940-$4,480 (-4.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$103,500-$29,790 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$96,550-$2,350 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$77,400-$5,220 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$149,710-$24,100 (-13.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$113,360-$30,930 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$126,800-$42,400 (-25.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$82,700+$23,690 (+40.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$93,930-$33,430 (-26.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$88,610-$14,250 (-13.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$102,610-$19,030 (-15.6%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI Relocation FAQs

About $78,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Duluth, MN-WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Duluth, MN-WI: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Duluth, MN-WI to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $78,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Duluth, MN-WI cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 21.2% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.