2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$148,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+48.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$934
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$17,292
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$18,226/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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

COL 144.2
Gross Parity Income $148,800
Federal Income Tax -$24,446
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$11,383
State Income Tax -$9,449
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $101,587
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,763

EPI family budgets put living costs 48.8% higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA than in Duluth, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Duluth goes about as far as $148,800 in Los Angeles. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Duluth and $2,402 in Los Angeles, $17,292 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $934 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Los Angeles. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $18,226 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,000 in Duluth and $55,850 in Los Angeles.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Duluth (Monthly) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$2,402+$1,441+149.9%
Food & Groceries$358$367+$9+2.5%
Transportation$1,081$1,004-$77-7.1%
Healthcare$442$398-$44-10.0%
Other Necessities$354$690+$336+94.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,253+$78+3.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,441/mo (149.9%)
Duluth: $961/mo Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,402/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,757/mo (145.6%)
Duluth: $1,207/mo Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,964/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$10.45/hr (48.7%)
Duluth: $21.44/hr Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $31.89/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$7.48/hr (35.8%)
Duluth: $20.87/hr Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $28.35/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Duluth Median Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,940$135,560+$38,620 (+39.8%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,930$125,830+$39,900 (+46.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$94,360+$16,960 (+21.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,500$160,920+$57,420 (+55.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,550$108,310+$11,760 (+12.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,360$132,330+$18,970 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$104,930+$16,320 (+18.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,800$175,310+$48,510 (+38.3%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,610$134,230+$31,620 (+30.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,710$204,370+$54,660 (+36.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$59,920$51,560-$8,360 (-14.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,700$73,810-$8,890 (-10.7%)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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Relocation FAQs

About $148,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Duluth, MN-WI to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Duluth, MN-WI
Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Overview

Duluth, MN-WI to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to match $100,000 in Duluth, MN-WI?

About $148,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA cheaper than Duluth, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 48.8% higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA than in Duluth, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.