Minneapolis, MN vs Austin, TX
Moving from Minneapolis to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Austin 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 Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $94,223 in Austin, TX (−$5,777).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($219 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $19,620 | −$1,032 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,647 | −$580 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,675 | +$300 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,836 | +$60 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $3,600 | +$1,400 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $9,558 | −$6,787 |
| Total | $49,575 | $42,936 | −$6,639 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $204 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $134 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 38 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 36.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 0.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |