2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

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 Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$167,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+67.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$497
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$18,684
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$18,187/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

Duluth, MN-WI

COL 96.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,277
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,903
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,371
Target Market
Destination Location

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Parity Income $167,800
Federal Income Tax -$29,006
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$12,837
State Income Tax -$8,170
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $117,787
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $87,571

EPI family budgets put living costs 67.8% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Duluth, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Duluth goes about as far as $167,800 in Boston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Duluth and $2,518 in Boston, $18,684 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $497 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $18,187 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,000 in Duluth and $66,620 in Boston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Duluth (Monthly) Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$2,518+$1,557+162.0%
Food & Groceries$358$418+$60+16.8%
Transportation$1,081$1,080-$1-0.1%
Healthcare$442$413-$29-6.6%
Other Necessities$354$832+$478+135.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,133-$42-1.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,557/mo (162.0%)
Duluth: $961/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,801/mo (149.2%)
Duluth: $1,207/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$14.53/hr (67.8%)
Duluth: $21.44/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$10.56/hr (50.6%)
Duluth: $20.87/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Duluth Median Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,930$133,800+$47,870 (+55.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,940$106,180+$9,240 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,500$166,090+$62,590 (+60.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$100,150+$22,750 (+29.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$135,640+$47,030 (+53.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,800$209,780+$82,980 (+65.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,710$214,960+$65,250 (+43.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,550$114,990+$18,440 (+19.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,700$79,910-$2,790 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,610$136,760+$34,150 (+33.3%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$89,590$117,520+$27,930 (+31.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$142,080$213,910+$71,830 (+50.6%)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

Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Relocation FAQs

About $167,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Duluth, MN-WI
Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Overview

Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to match $100,000 in Duluth, MN-WI?

About $167,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH cheaper than Duluth, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 67.8% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Duluth, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.