Minneapolis, MN vs Portland, ME
Moving from Minneapolis to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Portland 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 $100,050 in Portland, ME (+$50).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($219 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $27,840 | +$7,188 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,917 | −$310 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $2,775 | −$600 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $3,072 | +$1,296 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,000 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $12,997 | −$3,348 |
| Total | $49,575 | $52,601 | +$3,026 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |