2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$67,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-32.8%
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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

COL 144.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,145
Target Market
Destination Location

Duluth, MN-WI

COL 96.9
Gross Parity Income $67,200
Federal Income Tax -$5,954
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,141
State Income Tax -$3,046
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $53,059
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $41,527

EPI family budgets put living costs 32.8% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, so $100,000 in Los Angeles goes about as far as $67,200 in Duluth. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,402 a month in Los Angeles and $961 in Duluth, $17,292 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $934 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Duluth. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $18,226 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $55,850 in Los Angeles and $50,000 in Duluth.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Monthly) Duluth (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,402$961-$1,441-60.0%
Food & Groceries$367$358-$9-2.5%
Transportation$1,004$1,081+$77+7.7%
Healthcare$398$442+$44+11.1%
Other Necessities$690$354-$336-48.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$2,175-$78-3.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,441/mo (-60.0%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,402/mo Duluth: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,757/mo (-59.3%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,964/mo Duluth: $1,207/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$10.45/hr (-32.8%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $31.89/hr Duluth: $21.44/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$7.48/hr (-26.4%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $28.35/hr Duluth: $20.87/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Median Duluth Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$135,560$96,940-$38,620 (-28.5%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,830$85,930-$39,900 (-31.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$94,360$77,400-$16,960 (-18.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$160,920$103,500-$57,420 (-35.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$108,310$96,550-$11,760 (-10.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,330$113,360-$18,970 (-14.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,930$88,610-$16,320 (-15.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$175,310$126,800-$48,510 (-27.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,230$102,610-$31,620 (-23.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$204,370$149,710-$54,660 (-26.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$51,560$59,920+$8,360 (+16.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$73,810$82,700+$8,890 (+12.0%)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

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

About $67,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Duluth, MN-WI: 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 Duluth, MN-WI to match $100,000 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

About $67,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 32.8% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.