2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$417
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,904
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,487/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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Parity Income $109,000
Federal Income Tax -$15,150
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,339
State Income Tax -$5,406
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,105
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,669

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.0% higher in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Duluth, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Duluth goes about as far as $109,000 in Buffalo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Duluth and $1,203 in Buffalo, $2,904 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $417 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Buffalo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,487 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,000 in Duluth and $50,790 in Buffalo.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Duluth (Monthly) Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$1,203+$242+25.2%
Food & Groceries$358$376+$18+5.0%
Transportation$1,081$971-$110-10.2%
Healthcare$442$504+$62+14.0%
Other Necessities$354$417+$63+17.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,140-$35-1.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$242/mo (25.2%)
Duluth: $961/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$216/mo (17.9%)
Duluth: $1,207/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.92/hr (9.0%)
Duluth: $21.44/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.12/hr (10.2%)
Duluth: $20.87/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Duluth Median Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,940$99,060+$2,120 (+2.2%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,930$103,280+$17,350 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$82,120+$4,720 (+6.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,500$127,850+$24,350 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,550$101,180+$4,630 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,800$164,230+$37,430 (+29.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$84,710-$3,900 (-4.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,700$77,930-$4,770 (-5.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$59,920$48,620-$11,300 (-18.9%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$83,380$70,130-$13,250 (-15.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,610$132,720+$30,110 (+29.3%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$85,060$72,230-$12,830 (-15.1%)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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Relocation FAQs

About $109,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Duluth, MN-WI to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Duluth, MN-WI
Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Overview

Duluth, MN-WI to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to match $100,000 in Duluth, MN-WI?

About $109,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY cheaper than Duluth, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.0% higher in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Duluth, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.