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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
After service, the right city means keeping more of what you've earned. We scored 2 cities across Minnesota for veterans: cost, taxes, and healthcare. St Paul takes #1 for 2026.
After service, the right city means keeping more of what you've earned. We scored 2 cities across Minnesota for veterans: cost, taxes, and healthcare. St Paul takes #1 for 2026.
A closer look at St Paul: the cost index of 87 breaks down to a Housing index of 87 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 97 (weakest). Median rent is $1,485/month — 22% below the national median — while household income sits at $73,055, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Veterans have unique financial considerations: pension, VA disability, GI Bill benefits all interact with local costs and taxes. Our model weights cost of living (20pts), state tax burden (20pts), and healthcare costs (15pts) for supplemental care beyond VA. St Paul scores highest with a 87 cost index and 9.85% state tax.
St Paul rent up 3% over the past year. And as far as the data shows, rent in #1-ranked St Paul has increased from $1,443 — whether that matters depends on your situation — to $1,485/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
For all that, there's a counter-signal worth noting: State context matters: Minnesota's 2 cities average a 92 cost index with $1,562/month — we had to double-check this one — median rent and $76,662 household income. Twin Cities prosperity, outstate thrift. The next section breaks down exactly why (your mileage may vary — literally).
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. And with some exceptions, 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: St Paul — cost index 87, rent $1,485/mo, income $73,055
St Paul rent up 3% over the past year
Veteran scoring: cost index 87, state tax 9.85%, healthcare index 97 — preserving earned benefits
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 |
303,820 residents · Minnesota
The #1 spot goes to St Paul, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,485/month — for better or worse — — 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
Look, Dive into Minneapolis's numbers: cost index 96 (15 points below national average), rent $1,638/month, income $80,269, and a home price of $327,043. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 96, while Healthcare runs 99. With 425,115 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to military veterans. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Minnesota by this personalized metric. 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.
St Paul scores highest for military veterans due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,485/mo, and competitive 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.