Moving from Salt Lake City to Fargo

You'd keep $646 more a month in Fargo

+$7,752 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Salt Lake City leftover

$2,547

a month after tax and rent

Fargo leftover

$3,193

+$646 vs Salt Lake City

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Salt Lake City, UT and Fargo, ND
Per monthSalt Lake CityFargoDifference
Gross pay$7,708$7,374−$335
Income and payroll tax$1,937$1,529−$409
Take-home pay$5,771$5,845+$74
Rent$1,269$881−$388
Getting around$519$505−$14
Groceries$396$349−$47
Healthcare$446$393−$53
Utilities$248$218−$30
Everything else$347$306−$41
Left over$2,547$3,193+$646

To break even in Fargo, you'd need to earn

$77,000

Household gross, versus $92,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Salt Lake City does now.

The tax difference alone

+$3,713

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.1% in Salt Lake City, 20.7% in Fargo.

More about Fargo

Salt Lake City, UT in full

Four ski resorts inside an hour and a 23-minute average commute.

Fargo, ND in full

State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,049 and 193 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Fargo on Fargo wages.

FargoSalt Lake City

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Fargo than Salt Lake City?

A one-bedroom is about $1,269 in Salt Lake City versus $881 in Fargo. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $646 a month higher in Fargo. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Fargo have state income tax?

Fargo is in North Dakota, which taxes wage income.

What changes if you move from Salt Lake City to Fargo?

Take-home pay is recalculated under North Dakota tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.