Cost of Living in Minnesota
What it costs to live in Minnesota, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 5,793,151
- Median household income
- $87,117
- State income tax
- Up to 9.9%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 98.6
What a typical paycheck keeps in Minnesota
The typical Minnesota worker earns $56,920 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $12,812 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $56,920
- Federal income tax
- −$4,650
- Payroll taxes
- −$4,605
- State income tax
- −$2,347
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$14,772
- Everyday costs
- −$17,734
a year, or $1,068 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across Minnesota.
Cost of living in Minnesota
Prices across Minnesota run 1% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing9% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)1% above the US average
- Utilities9% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)About the same as the US average
- All items1% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,231 | $14,772 |
| Food | $496 | $5,952 |
| Transportation | $392 | $4,704 |
| Healthcare | $353 | $4,236 |
| Utilities | $237 | $2,844 |
| Total before taxes | $2,709 | $32,508 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
Minnesota taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 5.4% |
| $33,310 | 6.8% |
| $109,430 | 7.9% |
| $203,150 | 9.9% |
Payroll programs withheld from wages
- Minnesota Paid Leave0.4% up to $184,500
Standard deduction reduction above $244,400 AGI is not modelled.
Taxes on the median household income
$87,117 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$10,336 |
| Payroll taxes | −$7,048 |
| State income tax | −$4,401 |
| Effective tax rate | 25% |
Cities in Minnesota
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each Minnesota city we cover.
What common jobs keep in Minnesota
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | $219,200 | $115,255 |
| Pharmacist | $159,740 | $77,532 |
| Lawyer | $155,140 | $74,770 |
| Physician assistant | $141,190 | $66,392 |
| Nurse practitioner | $133,260 | $61,629 |
| Veterinarian | $133,110 | $61,539 |
| Software engineer | $130,050 | $59,701 |
| Data scientist | $128,800 | $58,950 |
| Lineman | $104,180 | $43,595 |
| Dental hygienist | $103,970 | $43,463 |
| Financial analyst | $102,990 | $42,844 |
| Physical therapist | $102,010 | $42,226 |
| Registered nurse | $101,510 | $41,911 |
| Civil engineer | $101,480 | $41,891 |
| Mechanical engineer | $99,140 | $40,415 |
Salary pages in Minnesota, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in Minnesota
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $373,700 |
| Physicians, All Other | $367,320 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $280,030 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $266,190 |
| Dentists, General | $219,200 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $211,470 |
| Chief Executives | $195,670 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $176,380 |
| Marketing Managers | $173,300 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $172,130 |
| Financial Managers | $163,410 |
| Pharmacists | $159,740 |
| Lawyers | $155,140 |
| Human Resources Managers | $153,770 |
| Managers, All Other | $152,600 |
Living in Minnesota
Minnesota against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | Minnesota | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $344,600 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,291 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 9.3% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 40% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 22.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 14.7% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare Minnesota with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in Minnesota?
Prices in Minnesota are 1% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $1,231 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,478 a month.
Does Minnesota have a state income tax?
Yes. Minnesota's income tax rate is up to 9.9%. On a typical wage of $56,920, a single filer pays about $2,347 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in Minnesota?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $39,600 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in Minnesota earns $56,920 and keeps $12,812 after those costs.
Where in Minnesota does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the Minnesota cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in St. Paul ($12,656 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Minneapolis ($11,168).
What jobs pay the most in Minnesota?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in Minnesota goes to General Internal Medicine Physicians ($373,700); Physicians, All Other ($367,320); Family Medicine Physicians ($280,030) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate