Moving to Minnesota from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to Minnesota — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to Minnesota, you would find that Minnesota is 9.3% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $64,763 in Minnesota to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Saint Paul averages 56°F vs 70°F in Richmond, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to Minnesota.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,763
To maintain the same standard of living in Minnesota
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.8% less
Groceries
pay 11.5% less
Transportation
pay 3.4% less
Housing
pay 14.1% less
Childcare
pay 24.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.3% more
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 Virginia 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
Virginia performs better than Minnesota 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
Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in adult smoking 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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
Virginia generally does better on employment & economy, though Minnesota leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Virginia 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 | Richmond | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Minnesota than Virginia?
Generally yes: Minnesota runs about 14% cheaper than Virginia 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 $16,191 in Minnesota for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Minnesota safe?
Virginia performs better than Minnesota across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Minnesota compared to Virginia?
Minnesota generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Minnesota compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Saint Paul is 56°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Saint Paul receives around 28.5 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
