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Living in Minnesota ยท 2026

Is $137,000 enough to live in Minnesota?

Single adult ยท MN ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$7,960

Avg monthly expenses

$2,331

Avg monthly surplus

$5,629

Savings potential

~71%

After-tax take-home in Minnesota

Gross salary$137,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $21,794
State income taxโˆ’ $9,202
Social Securityโˆ’ $8,494
Medicareโˆ’ $1,987
Annual take-home$95,523
Effective tax rate30.28%

How $137,000 feels in Minnesota cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Minneapolis

COL index: 1.17ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,600
Food
$484
Transport
$205
Utilities
$193
Healthcare
$234
Total: $2,716/mo
Surplus: $5,244/mo
Rent burden: 20.1% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Minneapolis analysis โ†’

St Paul

COL index: 1.10ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,450
Food
$462
Transport
$193
Utilities
$182
Healthcare
$220
Total: $2,507/mo
Surplus: $5,453/mo
Rent burden: 18.2% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full St Paul analysis โ†’

Rochester

COL index: 0.95ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,150
Food
$440
Transport
$166
Utilities
$157
Healthcare
$190
Total: $2,103/mo
Surplus: $5,857/mo
Rent burden: 14.4% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Rochester analysis โ†’

Duluth

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$418
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,893/mo
Surplus: $6,067/mo
Rent burden: 12.6% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Duluth analysis โ†’

Bloomington

COL index: 1.08ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,400
Food
$418
Transport
$189
Utilities
$178
Healthcare
$216
Total: $2,401/mo
Surplus: $5,559/mo
Rent burden: 17.6% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Bloomington analysis โ†’

Brooklyn Park

COL index: 1.05ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,350
Food
$449
Transport
$184
Utilities
$173
Healthcare
$210
Total: $2,366/mo
Surplus: $5,594/mo
Rent burden: 17.0% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Brooklyn Park analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $7,960 ($95,520/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$3,980

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$2,388

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$1,592

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$47,760

Wants / year

$28,656

Savings / year

$19,104

Salary Intelligence

Good salary in Minneapolis

Rent represents 20% of take-home income โ€” comfortably within the recommended 25% guideline. This is a solid salary for this location.

Lifestyle score: 7.3/10 (Very Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $137,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with approximately $5,244/month (~66% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Minneapolis's above-average cost of living (index: 1.17) means $137,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $117,094 in an average-cost US city, or $138,171 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$137,000 is 172% above the Minnesota individual median of $50,400 and 145% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$50,400

+172%

State household median

$87,012

+57%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$137,000 vs. Minnesota income benchmarks

Individual median (Minnesota)

$50,400

+172% vs. this salary

Household median (Minnesota)

$87,012

+57% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Minnesota

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.