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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 112. And from what we can tell, minneapolis stands out at 101 on the index, with rent of $1,638/month and household income of $80,269. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
425,115 residents · Minnesota
What does daily life actually cost in Minneapolis? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 93) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 104) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $80,269 — for better or worse — and homes at $327,043 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
303,820 residents · Minnesota
In plain English: a closer look at St Paul: the cost index of 97 breaks down to a Utilities index of 89 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (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.
#1 Ranked: Minneapolis — cost index 101, rent $1,638/mo, income $80,269
Minneapolis rent up 4% over the past year
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis | 101 | $1,638 | Details |
| 2 | St Paul | 97 | $1,485 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Minnesota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. And from what we can tell, minneapolis stands out at 101 on the index, with rent of $1,638/month and household income of $80,269. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Dive into Minneapolis's numbers: cost index 101 (11 points below national average), rent $1,638/month, income $80,269, and a home price of $327,043. And more often than not, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 93, while Healthcare runs 104. With 425,115 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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. 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. I'll say what the data can't: this city punches above its weight in ways that don't show up in a spreadsheet. There's a reason people who move here tend to stay. You can call it quality of life, you can call it vibes, whatever — the point is, the cost structure gives people room to actually enjoy where they live, and that's increasingly rare in this country.
Cities are ranked by overall cost of living index in descending order. High-cost cities are typically driven by housing prices — a city with an index of 150 has overall costs roughly 50% above the national median, with housing often 2-3× that premium. 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.
Minneapolis ranks #1 in Minnesota for this analysis with a cost index of 101 and median income of $80,269.
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.
Minneapolis (ranked #1) has a cost index of 101 and rent of $1,638/mo, while St Paul (ranked #2) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,485/mo — a 4-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 Minneapolis is $1,638/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $257 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Minneapolis is $327,043, which is 4.1× 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.