Minneapolis, MN vs Boulder, CO
Moving from Minneapolis to Boulder? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $727,954 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Boulder 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 $96,464 in Boulder, CO (−$3,536).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Boulder, CO: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 1,305 sqft in Boulder ($219 vs $383 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Boulder, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $27,084 | +$6,432 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,814 | −$413 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $4,050 | +$675 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,788 | +$12 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,800 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $10,679 | −$5,666 |
| Total | $49,575 | $51,214 | +$1,639 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Boulder, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 100.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 4.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 3.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $727,954 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 7.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | -2.6% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $383 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $2,257 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |