Dayton, OH vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Dayton to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,000 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Dayton 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 Dayton, OH, you'd need about $112,909 in Minneapolis, MN (+$12,909).
Livability — Dayton, OH: 69 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,500 sqft in Dayton vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($200 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dayton, OH | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $20,652 | +$4,452 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $5,227 | +$521 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,375 | +$350 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,776 | −$324 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $8,917 | $16,345 | +$7,428 |
| Total | $36,248 | $49,575 | +$13,327 |
Side by side
| Metric | Dayton, OH | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.4 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.28% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $350,000 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.2× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $200 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.68% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |