Living in Minnesota · 2026
Is $165,000 enough to live in Minnesota?
Single adult · MN · 2026 tax brackets · Real cost-of-living data
Monthly take-home
$9,372
Avg monthly expenses
$2,331
Avg monthly surplus
$7,041
Savings potential
~75%
After-tax take-home in Minnesota
How $165,000 feels in Minnesota cities
Rent: HUD FMR 2026 · Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan × COL · Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES × COL
Minneapolis
COL index: 1.17× national avg
St Paul
COL index: 1.10× national avg
Rochester
COL index: 0.95× national avg
Duluth
COL index: 0.88× national avg
Bloomington
COL index: 1.08× national avg
Brooklyn Park
COL index: 1.05× national avg
50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner
Based on your monthly take-home of $9,372 ($112,464/yr)
$4,686
per month
- ›Rent / mortgage
- ›Groceries
- ›Utilities
- ›Insurance
- ›Minimum debt payments
- ›Transportation
$2,812
per month
- ›Dining out
- ›Streaming services
- ›Gym
- ›Hobbies
- ›Travel
- ›Shopping
$1,874
per month
- ›Emergency fund
- ›401(k) / IRA
- ›Investments
- ›Down payment fund
- ›Debt payoff (extra)
Needs / year
$56,232
Wants / year
$33,739
Savings / year
$22,493
Salary Intelligence
Excellent salary in MinneapolisAt $165,000, housing costs only 17% of take-home income — well below the 25% threshold. This leaves strong room for savings, discretionary spending, and wealth building.
Lifestyle Assessment
A $165,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with approximately $6,656/month (~71% of take-home) available for savings — meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.
Purchasing Power
Minneapolis's above-average cost of living (index: 1.17) means $165,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $141,026 in an average-cost US city, or $166,410 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.
State & National Benchmark
$165,000 is 227% above the Minnesota individual median of $50,400 and 195% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.
State individual median
$50,400
+227%
State household median
$87,012
+90%
Tax reduction strategies
$165,000 vs. Minnesota income benchmarks
Individual median (Minnesota)
$50,400
+227% vs. this salary
Household median (Minnesota)
$87,012
+90% vs. this salary
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023
Related salary insights
Explore other salary levels in Minnesota
Data Sources
- •Tax calculations: IRS federal tax tables
- •Rent data: HUD Fair Market Rents
- •Cost-of-living index: C2ER / ACCRA Cost of Living Index
Data updated monthly using government datasets.