2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$61,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-39.0%
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

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

COL 158.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,532
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,649
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$26,448
Discretionary Cash Flow $47,201
Target Market
Destination Location

Duluth, MN-WI

COL 96.9
Gross Parity Income $61,000
Federal Income Tax -$5,140
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,667
State Income Tax -$2,625
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $48,569
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $37,037

EPI family budgets put living costs 39.0% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, so $100,000 in Washington goes about as far as $61,000 in Duluth. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,204 a month in Washington and $961 in Duluth, $14,916 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $255 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Duluth. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $15,171 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $71,060 in Washington 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (Monthly) Duluth (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,204$961-$1,243-56.4%
Food & Groceries$413$358-$55-13.3%
Transportation$1,045$1,081+$36+3.4%
Healthcare$389$442+$53+13.6%
Other Necessities$753$354-$399-53.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,196$2,175-$21-1.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,243/mo (-56.4%)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,204/mo Duluth: $961/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,231/mo (-50.5%)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,438/mo Duluth: $1,207/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$13.71/hr (-39.0%)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $35.15/hr Duluth: $21.44/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$8.40/hr (-28.7%)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $29.27/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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Median Duluth Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,460$85,930-$70,530 (-45.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$154,930$103,500-$51,430 (-33.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$126,830$88,610-$38,220 (-30.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$102,710$96,940-$5,770 (-5.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$102,140$77,400-$24,740 (-24.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$127,030$96,550-$30,480 (-24.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$185,270$126,800-$58,470 (-31.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$195,190$149,710-$45,480 (-23.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$75,930$82,700+$6,770 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$140,670$102,610-$38,060 (-27.1%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$108,330$89,590-$18,740 (-17.3%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$71,860$85,060+$13,200 (+18.4%)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

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to Duluth, MN-WI Relocation FAQs

About $61,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

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

About $61,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 96.9 in Duluth, MN-WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 39.0% lower in Duluth, MN-WI than in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.