Moving to Minnesota from New York
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New York to Minnesota — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New York to Minnesota, you would find that Minnesota is 10.7% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $64,216 in Minnesota to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New York to Minnesota.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,216
To maintain the same standard of living in Minnesota
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.3% less
Groceries
pay 7.9% less
Transportation
pay 14.2% less
Housing
pay 16.2% less
Childcare
pay 19.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.7% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New York and Minnesota stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Minnesota performs significantly better than New York across all safety metrics.
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
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Minnesota leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Minnesota performs significantly better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Minnesota performs significantly better than New York 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 New York leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York generally does better on family life, though Minnesota leads in life expectancy.
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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Albany | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) | 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albany | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) | 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) |
| Feb | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) | 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) |
| Mar | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) | 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) |
| May | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) | 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) | 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) | 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) | 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) | 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Dec | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) | 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Minnesota than New York?
Generally yes: Minnesota runs about 14% cheaper than New York on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Minnesota?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,054 in Minnesota for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Minnesota safe?
Minnesota performs significantly better than New York across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Minnesota compared to New York?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Minnesota leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Minnesota compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Saint Paul is 56°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Saint Paul receives around 28.5 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.
