Waco, TX vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Waco to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,772 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Waco vs Minneapolis 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 Waco, TX, you'd need about $114,448 in Minneapolis, MN (+$14,448).
Livability — Waco, TX: 73 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,088 sqft in Waco vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($122 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Waco, TX | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $20,652 | +$3,804 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $5,227 | +$580 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,375 | −$300 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,776 | −$60 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $2,200 | −$1,400 |
| Taxes | $5,779 | $16,345 | +$10,566 |
| Total | $36,385 | $49,575 | +$13,190 |
Side by side
| Metric | Waco, TX | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.1 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $256,772 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.8% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $122 | $219 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 1.53% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |