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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Early in your career, the right city accelerates everything: salary growth, networking, savings. We ranked 2 cities in Minnesota for young professionals, weighting income, job market depth, and transport. Minneapolis leads with income of $80,269 and 425,115 residents.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis | 96 | $1,638 | Details |
| 2 | St Paul | 87 | $1,485 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Minneapolis — cost index 96, rent $1,638/mo, income $80,269
Minneapolis rent up 4% over the past year
Young-professional scoring: income $80,269, population 425,115 (job market depth), transport index 99
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Early in your career, the right city accelerates everything: salary growth, networking, savings. We ranked 2 cities in Minnesota for young professionals, weighting income, job market depth, and transport. Minneapolis leads with income of $80,269 and 425,115 residents.
For young professionals, we weight income potential highest (20pts) — early career earnings compound over decades. Population comes next (15pts) as a proxy for job market depth: more employers means more opportunity. Transport costs (10pts) matter because most early-career workers are car-dependent. Minneapolis leads with $80,269 median income and 425,115 residents.
Minneapolis comes in at #1. Rent is $1,638 a month. Household income is $80,269. The cost of living index is 96. That's a reasonable number.
Minneapolis rent up 4% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Minneapolis has increased from $1,569 to $1,638/mo over the past 12 months — a 4% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
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.
425,115 residents · Minnesota
Minneapolis earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 96 cost index sits 15 points below the national baseline, and the $80,269 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $327,043 — $140,327 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 96, while Healthcare trails at 99.
303,820 residents · Minnesota
Why St Paul ranks #2: 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 — we had to double-check this one — 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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to young professionals. 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.
Minneapolis ranks #1 in Minnesota for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of $80,269.
Minneapolis scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,638/mo, and competitive 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 96 and rent of $1,638/mo, while St Paul (ranked #2) has a cost index of 87 and rent of $1,485/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 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.