Moving to Alabama from Minnesota
What to Expect
Considering a move from Minnesota to Alabama? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Minnesota to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 5.2% cheaper than Minnesota. A $75,000 salary in Minnesota would need to be roughly $71,100 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Huntsville averages 73°F vs 55°F in Minneapolis, making it significantly warmer. Minneapolis and Huntsville are about 790 mi apart.
Is Alabama cheaper than Minnesota?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.9% less
Groceries
pay 6.5% less
Transportation
pay 8.3% less
Housing
pay 4.7% less
Childcare
pay 3.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.4% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Alabama?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Alabama compared to Minnesota.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Minnesota generally does better on safety, though Alabama leads in property crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Minnesota performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama generally does better on what about housing?, though Minnesota leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Minnesota performs better than Alabama across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Minnesota generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Minnesota performs better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Alabama vs Minnesota
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Minneapolis | Huntsville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 31°/15°F (0°/-10°C) | 57°/36°F (14°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 81°/59°F (27°/15°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/59°F (26°/15°C) | 89°/67°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) | 64°/42°F (18°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Minneapolis | Huntsville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24°/8°F (-4.6°/-13.6°C) | 51°/32°F (10.7°/-0.1°C) |
| Feb | 29°/13°F (-1.7°/-10.7°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.9°C) |
| Mar | 41°/24°F (5.2°/-4.3°C) | 65°/42°F (18.3°/5.7°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.3°/2.9°C) | 74°/50°F (23.1°/10.0°C) |
| May | 69°/49°F (20.8°/9.4°C) | 81°/59°F (27.4°/15.2°C) |
| Jun | 79°/59°F (26.0°/14.9°C) | 88°/67°F (31.2°/19.5°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.6°/17.8°C) | 91°/70°F (32.6°/21.3°C) |
| Aug | 80°/62°F (26.9°/16.6°C) | 91°/69°F (32.7°/20.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.1°/11.3°C) | 85°/62°F (29.4°/16.9°C) |
| Oct | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.3°C) | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.6°C) |
| Nov | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) | 64°/42°F (17.6°/5.4°C) |
| Dec | 27°/12°F (-2.7°/-10.9°C) | 53°/34°F (11.9°/1.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Minnesota?
On average Alabama is about 5% less expensive than Minnesota, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Budget about $17,775 for 3 months in Alabama (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alabama safe?
Minnesota generally does better on safety, though Alabama leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Minnesota?
Minnesota performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Minnesota?
The average high temperature in Huntsville is 73°F, compared to 55°F in Minneapolis. Huntsville receives around 54.3 in of rainfall per year, while Minneapolis gets 30.6 in.
