Minneapolis, MN vs Worcester, MA
Moving from Minneapolis to Worcester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $482,611 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Worcester 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 $98,734 in Worcester, MA (−$1,266).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Worcester, MA: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 1,761 sqft in Worcester ($219 vs $284 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Worcester, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $26,184 | +$5,532 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,938 | −$289 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,210 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $3,180 | +$1,404 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,800 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $16,011 | −$334 |
| Total | $49,575 | $55,322 | +$5,747 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Worcester, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 103.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 5.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.86 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $482,611 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $284 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $2,182 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 1.39% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $76 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $77 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 31.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.2 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |