Appleton, WI vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Appleton to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,370 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Appleton vs Minneapolis at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Appleton, WI, you'd need about $111,272 in Minneapolis, MN (+$11,272).
Livability — Appleton, WI: 65 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,426 sqft in Appleton vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($206 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Appleton, WI | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,604 | $20,652 | +$6,048 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $5,227 | +$536 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,375 | +$290 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $1,776 | −$300 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $13,083 | $16,345 | +$3,263 |
| Total | $38,839 | $49,575 | +$10,736 |
Side by side
| Metric | Appleton, WI | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.7 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.92% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.33 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $350,370 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.1% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $206 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,217 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.56% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $76 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $42 | $77 |
| Home internet / mo | $85 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 4 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.6 | 31.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.7 | 51.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |