Minneapolis, MN vs Lafayette, LA
Moving from Minneapolis to Lafayette? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $202,312 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Lafayette 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 $83,942 in Lafayette, LA (−$16,058).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Lafayette, LA: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 4,941 sqft in Lafayette ($219 vs $101 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Lafayette, LA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $16,452 | −$4,200 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,650 | −$577 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $4,475 | +$1,100 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,560 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $3,500 | +$1,300 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $8,509 | −$7,836 |
| Total | $49,575 | $39,146 | −$10,429 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Lafayette, LA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 87.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.97% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | -1.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $4.98 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $202,312 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $101 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,371 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 9.56% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $8,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 0.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $3,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $1,000 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 630 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 43 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |