Lexington, KY vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Lexington to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Lexington 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $112,758 in Minneapolis, MN (+$12,758).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($173 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $20,652 | +$2,316 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $5,227 | +$506 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $3,375 | −$495 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $1,776 | +$156 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $16,345 | +$8,272 |
| Total | $38,820 | $49,575 | +$10,755 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |