Moving to Minnesota from Tennessee

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Tennessee to Minnesota, you would find that Minnesota is 5.8% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $73,319 in Minnesota to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Saint Paul averages 56°F vs 70°F in Nashville, making it significantly cooler.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $73,319

To maintain the same standard of living in Minnesota

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 2.1% less

Groceries

pay 6.0% more

Transportation

pay 18.7% more

Housing

pay 12.3% less

Childcare

pay 23.8% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 16.6% more

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 Tennessee and Minnesota 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

TN
612
MN
257
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
2301
MN
1675

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

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

share of people without health insurance

TN
9.5%
MN
4.5%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TN
37.9%
MN
33.9%

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

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

typical price of a home

TN
$256,800
MN
$305,500
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TN
$1,122
MN
$1,235

Tennessee generally does better on what about housing?, though Minnesota leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

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

share of households with internet

TN
87.6%
MN
91.0%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TN
26 min
MN
23 min

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TN
3.4%
MN
4.3%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TN
$60,177
MN
$68,478

Minnesota generally does better on employment & economy, though Tennessee leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

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

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TN
20%
MN
26%

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee 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.

Nashville Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1200 mm)
70° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Nashville Saint Paul
Jan–Mar 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) 69°/50°F (21°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) 79°/60°F (26°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C)
View all months
Month Nashville Saint Paul
Jan 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C)
Feb 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C)
Mar 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C)
Apr 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C)
May 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C)
Jul 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C)
Aug 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C)
Sep 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C)
Oct 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C)
Nov 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C)
Dec 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Minnesota than Tennessee?

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

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 $18,330 in Minnesota for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Minnesota safe?

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Minnesota compared to Tennessee?

Minnesota performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

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

The average high temperature in Saint Paul is 56°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Saint Paul receives around 28.5 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.

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