Duluth → Memphis

Moving from Duluth to Memphis shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 88.8 to 92.2 (100 = US average), so a Duluth salary needs to be multiplied by 1.04 to hold the same purchasing power in Memphis. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,232/month in Duluth to $1,274/month in Memphis - a higher monthly bill of $42, or $504/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $70,452 in Duluth versus $65,102 in Memphis - a raw gap of $5,350 lower. The Memphis labor market has 597,090 tracked jobs against 117,960 in Duluth, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Duluth and Memphis are 259 and 602 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 15.8:1 at origin versus 15.3:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $11,722/year in Duluth versus $7,860/year in Memphis. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.