Is Duluth cheaper than Johnson City?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Duluth and Johnson City metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Duluth or Johnson City?

Duluth has the higher median household income — $69,309 versus $57,462 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 21% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Duluth or Johnson City?

A paycheck stretches further in Duluth. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,079 there versus $65,351 in Johnson City.

Which has cheaper rent, Duluth or Johnson City?

Rents are close — $993/mo in the Duluth metro versus $993/mo in Johnson City (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Duluth vs Johnson City

Metro-area medians — Duluth, MN-WI Metro Area vs Johnson City, TN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Duluth comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Duluth and Johnson City cost about the same to live in, but Duluth households earn about 21% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Duluth.

Their widest everyday difference: Johnson City has the tighter job market — 3.1% unemployment versus 4.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Duluth, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,004

real value after local prices

Johnson City, TN

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$69,731

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Johnson City leaves you about $4,728/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Duluth

Johnson City

Livability (CityLedger)

50/100

38/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

88.8

87.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,079

$65,351

Median household income

$69,309

$57,462

Median rent

$993/mo

Median home value

$248,600

$244,500

Unemployment

4.6%

3.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32%

29.9%

Average commute

20.7 min

22.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

37°F

57°F

Choose Duluth for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Duluth profile →

Choose Johnson City for

+ Unemployment

Full Johnson City profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Duluth and Johnson City on cost, income, size, and education.

Duluth vs Cedar Rapids→Duluth vs Davenport→Duluth vs Topeka→Johnson City vs Lynchburg→Johnson City vs Charleston→Johnson City vs Saginaw→

Duluth vs Johnson City — frequently asked

Is Duluth cheaper than Johnson City?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Duluth and Johnson City metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Duluth or Johnson City?: Duluth has the higher median household income — $69,309 versus $57,462 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 21% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Duluth or Johnson City?: A paycheck stretches further in Duluth. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,079 there versus $65,351 in Johnson City.
Which has cheaper rent, Duluth or Johnson City?: Rents are close — $993/mo in the Duluth metro versus $993/mo in Johnson City (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).