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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Minnesota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. You get the picture. St Paul stands out at 87 on the index, with rent of $1,485/month and household income of $73,055. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
303,820 residents · Minnesota
Dive into St Paul's numbers: cost index 87 (24 points below national average), rent $1,485/month, income $73,055, and a home price of $289,137. And from what we can tell, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 87, while Healthcare runs 97. With 303,820 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
425,115 residents · Minnesota
Minneapolis is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,638/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 96. Income sits at $80,269. Nothing too surprising there.
#1 Ranked: St Paul — cost index 87, rent $1,485/mo, income $73,055
St Paul rent up 3% over the past year
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Paul | 87 | $1,485 | Details |
| 2 | Minneapolis | 96 | $1,638 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Minnesota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. You get the picture. St Paul stands out at 87 on the index, with rent of $1,485/month and household income of $73,055. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. St Paul rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked St Paul has increased from $1,443 to $1,485/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. Financially, that's significant.
Why St Paul ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 87 on the cost index, residents save roughly 24% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,485/month while the median household pulls in $73,055/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 87, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $289,137 — $178,233 below the national median.
The 3.5× rule is a conservative benchmark: lenders often approve up to 4-5× income, but 3.5× keeps monthly payments safely under 28% of gross income at typical rates. On $60K, that means targeting homes under $210,000. St Paul offers a median home at $289,137 — a 4.8× ratio with room to spare.
And here's what ties it all together: Across Minnesota, the average cost of living index is 92 — 19 points below the national median. Known for Twin Cities prosperity, outstate thrift, the state offers 2 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,562/month. That's $333 less than the national average of $1,895. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1St Paul | 9.85% | 7.545% | 1.02% | $49,145 |
2Minneapolis | 9.85% | 7.545% | 1.02% | $49,145 |
We divide median home price by median household income for each city in Minnesota. A ratio of 3× means a home costs 3 years of gross income — generally considered affordable. Ratios above 5× signal a stretched market. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
St Paul ranks #1 in Minnesota for this analysis with a cost index of 87 and median income of $73,055.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
St Paul (ranked #1) has a cost index of 87 and rent of $1,485/mo, while Minneapolis (ranked #2) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,638/mo — a 9-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in St Paul is $1,485/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $410 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in St Paul is $289,137, which is 4.0× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Minnesota has a 9.85% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.545%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.02%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.