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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $150K salary, 2 cities (100%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 2 cities in Minnesota using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. St P…
#1 Ranked: St Paul — cost index 87, rent $1,485/mo, income $73,055
2 of 2 cities keep rent under 30% of $150K
2 of 2 cities keep rent under 30% of $150K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1St Paul | 9.85% | 7.545% | 1.02% | $94,708 |
2Minneapolis | 9.85% | 7.545% | 1.02% | $94,708 |
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $150K salary, 2 cities (100%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 2 cities in Minnesota using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. St Paul comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis (your mileage may vary — literally).
That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
Here's St Paul by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 87. Rent: $1,485/month. Income: $73,055/year. Home price: $289,137. Population: 303,820. The strongest category is Housing at 87; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,920 per year vs. the national median. If you plug these numbers into any cost calculator, they hold up (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
One more layer before the full breakdown: The 2 cities we track in Minnesota paint a clearly affordable picture. And on balance, average cost index: 92. Median rent: $1,562/month. Household income: $76,662. Minnesota is known for Twin Cities prosperity, outstate thrift — and the data backs that reputation convincingly (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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.
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Paul | $1,485 | 12% | 87 | Details |
| 2 | Minneapolis | $1,638 | 13% | 96 | Details |
303,820 residents · Minnesota
Look, the #1 spot goes to St Paul, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,485/month — saving renters $4,920 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 87, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
425,115 residents · Minnesota
The #2 spot goes to Minneapolis, and the breakdown explains why. And from what we can tell, renters here pay $1,638/month — saving renters $3,084 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 96, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
We model what a $150K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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.
Yes. On a $150K salary in St Paul, rent would consume about 12% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. You're well within that guideline.
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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 9.85% state income tax, estimated take-home on $150K in St Paul is approximately $94,708/year ($7,892/month). After median rent of $1,485/month, you'd have roughly $76,888/year for all other expenses.
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.