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CityLedger

Fargo vs Lafayette

Metro-area medians — Fargo, ND-MN Metro Area vs Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Fargo comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Fargo and Lafayette cost about the same to live in, but Fargo households earn about 14% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Fargo.

Their widest everyday difference: Fargo has the tighter job market — 1.9% unemployment versus 3.6%.

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.

Fargo, ND
$61,103
take-home / yr · 19% to tax
$67,242
real value after local prices
Lafayette, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$63,217
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Fargo leaves you about $4,025/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
Fargo
Lafayette
Livability (CityLedger)
72/100
48/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
90.9
93.4
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$84,675
$72,263
Median household income
$76,945
$67,515
Median rent
$997/mo
$1,126/mo
Median home value
$300,200
$274,600
Unemployment
1.9%
3.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
40.6%
36.8%
Average commute
16.9 min
20.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
38
44
Avg temperature
42°F
51°F

Choose Fargo for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Fargo profile →

Choose Lafayette for

  • + Median home value
Full Lafayette profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Fargo and Lafayette on cost, income, size, and education.

Fargo vs Sioux Falls→Fargo vs Champaign→Fargo vs Lincoln→Lafayette vs Blacksburg→Lafayette vs Kalamazoo→Lafayette vs College Station→

Fargo vs Lafayette — frequently asked

Is Fargo cheaper than Lafayette?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Fargo and Lafayette metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Fargo or Lafayette?
Fargo has the higher median household income — $76,945 versus $67,515 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 14% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Fargo or Lafayette?
A paycheck stretches further in Fargo. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $84,675 there versus $72,263 in Lafayette.
Which has cheaper rent, Fargo or Lafayette?
Fargo has cheaper rent — a median of $997/mo versus $1,126/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).