Minneapolis, MN vs Buffalo, NY
Moving from Minneapolis to Buffalo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $288,316 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Buffalo 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 $91,006 in Buffalo, NY (−$8,994).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Buffalo, NY: 61 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 2,775 sqft in Buffalo ($219 vs $180 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Buffalo, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $17,328 | −$3,324 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,868 | −$359 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,895 | +$520 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $3,180 | +$1,404 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,600 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $18,192 | +$1,847 |
| Total | $49,575 | $49,063 | −$512 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Buffalo, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 94.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.10% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 2.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $288,316 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 4.8% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $180 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,444 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 2.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |