Cost of living in Duluth research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Duluth is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Minnesota, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Duluth is 102, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Duluth is 1.0x higher than the national average.
Duluth ranks as the #59 cheapest in Minnesota out of 147.
Duluth ranks as the #3,380 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Duluth is $176,200.
The median income in Duluth is $58,014.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Duluth has an overall cost of living index of 102, which is 1.0x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Minnesota, Duluth has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than Minnesota's index of 95.
The standard of living in Duluth ranks as #59 most affordable out of the 147 places we measured in Minnesota. By definition, that implies Duluth ranks as the #88 most expensive place in the North Star State.
For more reading on life in Duluth, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Duluth. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Duluth is 110.
The Groceries index in Duluth is 112.
The Health index in Duluth is 117.
The Housing index in Duluth is 80.
The Transportation index in Duluth is 100.
The Utilities index in Duluth is 101.
Living Expense | Duluth | Minnesota | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 102 | 95 | 100 | |
Services | 110 | 101 | 100 | |
Groceries | 112 | 98 | 100 | |
Health | 117 | 111 | 100 | |
Housing | 80 | 83 | 100 | |
Transportation | 100 | 98 | 100 | |
Utilities | 101 | 95 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Minnesota, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Duluth is $176,200.
The Median Rent in Duluth is $897.
The Median Income in Duluth is $58,014.
The Home Value To Income in Duluth is 3.0x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Duluth is 0.19x.
Statistic | Duluth | Minnesota | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $176,200 | $250,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $897 | $1,081 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $58,014 | $77,706 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.0x | 3.2x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.19x | 0.17x | 0.2x |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Duluth. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Superior, WI has a cost of living index of 94, 0.9x Duluth.
Cloquet, MN has a cost of living index of 99, 1.0x Duluth.
Hermantown, MN has a cost of living index of 110, 1.1x Duluth.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Duluth |
---|---|---|---|
Superior, WI | 26,601 | 94 | 0.9x |
Cloquet, MN | 12,563 | 99 | 1.0x |
Hermantown, MN | 10,128 | 110 | 1.1x |