2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$163,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+63.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$255
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$14,916
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$15,171/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

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

COL 158.9
Gross Parity Income $163,900
Federal Income Tax -$28,070
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$12,538
State Income Tax -$10,963
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $112,329
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$26,448
Discretionary Cash Flow $85,881

EPI family budgets put living costs 63.9% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Duluth, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Duluth goes about as far as $163,900 in Washington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Duluth and $2,204 in Washington, $14,916 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $255 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Washington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $15,171 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,000 in Duluth and $71,060 in Washington.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Duluth (Monthly) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$2,204+$1,243+129.3%
Food & Groceries$358$413+$55+15.4%
Transportation$1,081$1,045-$36-3.3%
Healthcare$442$389-$53-12.0%
Other Necessities$354$753+$399+112.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,196+$21+1.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,243/mo (129.3%)
Duluth: $961/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,204/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,231/mo (102.0%)
Duluth: $1,207/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,438/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$13.71/hr (63.9%)
Duluth: $21.44/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $35.15/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$8.40/hr (40.2%)
Duluth: $20.87/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $29.27/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Duluth Median Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,930$156,460+$70,530 (+82.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,500$154,930+$51,430 (+49.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$126,830+$38,220 (+43.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,940$102,710+$5,770 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$102,140+$24,740 (+32.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,550$127,030+$30,480 (+31.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,800$185,270+$58,470 (+46.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,710$195,190+$45,480 (+30.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,700$75,930-$6,770 (-8.2%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,610$140,670+$38,060 (+37.1%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$89,590$108,330+$18,740 (+20.9%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$85,060$71,860-$13,200 (-15.5%)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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Relocation FAQs

About $163,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Duluth, MN-WI to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to Duluth, MN-WI
Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV Overview

Duluth, MN-WI to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Duluth, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to match $100,000 in Duluth, MN-WI?

About $163,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV cheaper than Duluth, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 63.9% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Duluth, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.