Washington, DC vs Minneapolis, MN
Moving from Washington to Minneapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $393,774 median home) and taxes.
Washington 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $95,216 in Minneapolis, MN (−$4,784).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Minneapolis, MN: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis ($389 vs $219 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Minneapolis, MN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $20,652 | −$8,340 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $5,227 | −$91 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,375 | −$480 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,776 | −$972 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,200 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $16,345 | −$1,365 |
| Total | $60,023 | $49,575 | −$10,448 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 104.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 3.90% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.93 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $393,774 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $219 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,721 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.10% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 9.85% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 1.10% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.58% |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 16.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 4 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |