2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.9%
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

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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $126,900
Federal Income Tax -$19,190
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,708
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,002
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,570

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.9% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Duluth, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Duluth goes about as far as $126,900 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Duluth and $1,536 in Dallas, $6,900 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,277 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,623 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,000 in Duluth and $51,440 in Dallas.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Duluth (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$1,536+$575+59.8%
Food & Groceries$358$342-$16-4.5%
Transportation$1,081$1,011-$70-6.5%
Healthcare$442$459+$17+3.8%
Other Necessities$354$582+$228+64.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$1,735-$440-20.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$575/mo (59.8%)
Duluth: $961/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$600/mo (49.7%)
Duluth: $1,207/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.76/hr (26.9%)
Duluth: $21.44/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.05/hr (9.8%)
Duluth: $20.87/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Duluth Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,930$111,010+$25,080 (+29.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,940$101,420+$4,480 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,500$133,290+$29,790 (+28.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,550$98,900+$2,350 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$82,620+$5,220 (+6.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,710$173,810+$24,100 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,360$144,290+$30,930 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,800$169,200+$42,400 (+33.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,700$59,010-$23,690 (-28.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$93,930$127,360+$33,430 (+35.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$102,860+$14,250 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,610$121,640+$19,030 (+18.5%)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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $126,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Duluth, MN-WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to match $100,000 in Duluth, MN-WI?

About $126,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.9% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Duluth, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.