Cost of living in Duluth: rent, homes and salary
The cost of living in Duluth is 11.2% under the US average: for 2024, the BEA regional price parity (RPP) of the Duluth, MN metro area is 88.8, the US is 100, and housing on its own is 71.1.
- Overall prices
- 88.8US = 100, BEA 2024
- Price level for housing
- 71.1 for rents, with US = 100.
Cost of living index for Duluth
Regional price parities put the US average at 100 and set it against what an identical basket of goods and services costs in a given place. Duluth lies inside the Duluth, MN-WI metro area, which BEA prices as a single region. Nothing sits further from the US average than housing (rents): 71.1, or 28.9% below the US.
| Price level, US = 100 | Duluth, MN metro | Minnesota | Metro against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.8 | 98.6 | −11.2% |
| Goods | 95.3 | 100.5 | −4.7% |
| Housing (rents) | 71.1 | 91.3 | −28.9% |
| Utilities | 87.2 | 90.8 | −12.8% |
| Other services | 92.2 | 100.2 | −7.8% |
Regional price parities for metro areas and states, 2024, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. BEA regional price parities
Duluth rents
The Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) puts the typical asking rent for homes listed now in Duluth at $1,434 a month, +3.4% on a year. In the US, the figure is $1,932. Census median gross rent counts every renting household, not just new leases, and comes to $1,077. Twelve months of the asking rent equal 25% of the median household income.
| Rent | Duluth | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical asking rent, Zillow ZORI | $1,434 | $1,932 |
| Asking rent, 12-month change | +3.4% | |
| Median gross rent, Census ACS 2024 | $1,077 | $1,487 |
| Share of median income, one year of asking rent | 25% | 28% |
Zillow Observed Rent Index; Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024, based on one-year estimates.
Duluth home prices
In September 2026, the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) valued a typical Duluth home at $296,120. It tracks values for typical homes, the ones priced near the middle of the market. Over a year, that figure rose +4.6%, while the US figure is $366,157. A home there takes 4.3 years of median household income, compared with 4.5 for the US.
| Home prices | Duluth | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value, September 2026 | $296,120 | $366,157 |
| 12-month change | +4.6% | +1.2% |
| 10-year change | +81.3% | +77.4% |
| Price to income (years of median income) | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Price to rent (years of asking rent) | 17.2 | 15.8 |
Days on market, the forecast, and the price chart since 2000: Duluth housing market.
What salary you need to live in Duluth
The salary you need in Duluth depends on where you live and on what you earn. It has to buy what your pay buys now.
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How Duluth's cost of living compares with other cities
| City | Overall prices | Housing | Typical rent figure | Typical value of a home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth | 88.8 | 71.1 | $1,434 | $296,120 |
| Minneapolis | 104.8 | 111.8 | $1,747 | $328,351 |
| Rochester, Minnesota | 90.8 | 78.6 | $1,602 | $340,589 |
| New York City | 112.6 | 148.6 | $4,089 | $825,854 |
| Los Angeles | 113.6 | 170.4 | $2,772 | $927,891 |
| Chicago | 103.6 | 112.0 | $2,311 | $334,108 |
| Houston | 98.6 | 104.5 | $1,544 | $259,465 |
| Phoenix | 103.3 | 121.2 | $1,571 | $404,067 |
| Philadelphia | 102.6 | 113.1 | $1,757 | $231,584 |
Price levels come from BEA regional price parities, 2024, with US = 100. Rent comes from Zillow ZORI. Home values: Zillow ZHVI, September 2026.
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