Lancaster, PA vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Lancaster to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $107,801 in Minneapolis, MN (+$7,801).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($222 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $20,652 | +$2,340 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,227 | +$312 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,375 | −$65 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,776 | −$540 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $2,200 | +$1,000 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $16,345 | +$7,143 |
| Total | $39,385 | $49,575 | +$10,190 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |