Minneapolis, MN vs Charleston, WV
Moving from Minneapolis to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $148,817 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Charleston 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 $85,385 in Charleston, WV (−$14,615).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Charleston, WV: 77 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 5,714 sqft in Charleston ($219 vs $88 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Charleston, WV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $15,180 | −$5,472 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,767 | −$460 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,410 | +$35 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,740 | −$36 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $8,230 | −$8,115 |
| Total | $49,575 | $34,627 | −$14,948 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Charleston, WV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.76% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 17.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $148,817 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 2.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $88 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,265 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 6.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 5.12% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.65% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.66% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 16.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 26 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |