Moving to Utah from Minnesota

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Minnesota to Utah — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Minnesota to Utah, you would find that Utah is 5.1% cheaper than Minnesota. A $75,000 salary in Minnesota would need to be roughly $73,966 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Minnesota to Utah.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $73,966

To maintain the same standard of living in Utah

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 7.2% less

Groceries

pay 8.8% less

Transportation

pay 4.2% more

Housing

pay 7.5% more

Childcare

pay 26.1% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 10.9% less

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Minnesota and Utah stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MN
257
UT
224
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MN
1675
UT
1576

Utah performs significantly better than Minnesota across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

MN
4.5%
UT
8.1%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MN
33.9%
UT
32.3%

Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Utah leads in adult obesity rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

MN
$305,500
UT
$455,000
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MN
$1,235
UT
$1,405

Minnesota performs better than Utah across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

MN
91.0%
UT
92.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MN
23 min
UT
22 min

Utah performs significantly better than Minnesota across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MN
4.3%
UT
3.5%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MN
$68,478
UT
$66,207

Utah generally does better on employment & economy, though Minnesota leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MN
79.1 yrs
UT
78.6 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

MN
26%
UT
21%

Minnesota performs better than Utah across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Saint Paul Rain: 28.5 in/yr (724 mm)
56° / 38°F

Avg. annual high / low

Salt Lake City Rain: 16.1 in/yr (409 mm)
64° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Saint Paul Salt Lake City
Jan–Mar 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) 87°/60°F (31°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) 51°/32°F (10°/0°C)
View all months
Month Saint Paul Salt Lake City
Jan 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C)
Feb 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C)
Mar 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C)
Apr 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C)
May 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C)
Jun 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C)
Jul 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C)
Aug 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C)
Sep 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C)
Oct 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C)
Nov 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C)
Dec 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Utah than Minnesota?

Headline costs are within a few percent between Utah and Minnesota; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.

How much money do I need to move to Utah?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,492 in Utah for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Utah safe?

Utah performs significantly better than Minnesota across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Utah compared to Minnesota?

Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Utah leads in adult obesity rate.

What's the weather like in Utah compared to Minnesota?

The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 56°F in Saint Paul. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Saint Paul gets 28.5 in.

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