Minneapolis, MN vs Richmond, VA
Moving from Minneapolis to Richmond? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $397,705 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Richmond 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 $94,281 in Richmond, VA (−$5,719).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Richmond, VA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 2,514 sqft in Richmond ($219 vs $199 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Richmond, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $21,156 | +$504 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,853 | −$374 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,080 | −$295 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,872 | +$96 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,500 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $10,041 | −$6,304 |
| Total | $49,575 | $42,502 | −$7,073 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Richmond, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 4.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $397,705 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $199 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,763 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |