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Living in Minnesota ยท 2026

Is $235,000 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

$12,981

Avg monthly expenses

$2,331

Avg monthly surplus

$10,650

Savings potential

~82%

After-tax take-home in Minnesota

Gross salary$235,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $46,578
State income taxโˆ’ $17,730
Social Securityโˆ’ $11,203
Medicareโˆ’ $3,723
Annual take-home$155,766
Effective tax rate33.72%

How $235,000 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: $10,265/mo
Rent burden: 12.3% 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: $10,474/mo
Rent burden: 11.2% 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: $10,878/mo
Rent burden: 8.9% 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: $11,088/mo
Rent burden: 7.7% 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: $10,580/mo
Rent burden: 10.8% 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: $10,615/mo
Rent burden: 10.4% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Brooklyn Park analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $12,981 ($155,772/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$6,491

per month

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

$3,894

per month

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

$2,596

per month

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

Needs / year

$77,886

Wants / year

$46,732

Savings / year

$31,154

Salary Intelligence

Excellent salary in Minneapolis

At $235,000, housing costs only 12% of take-home income โ€” well below the 25% threshold. This leaves strong room for savings, discretionary spending, and wealth building.

Lifestyle score: 7.8/10 (Very Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $235,000 salary comfortably supports a very good single lifestyle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with approximately $10,265/month (~79% 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 $235,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $200,855 in an average-cost US city, or $237,009 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$235,000 is 366% above the Minnesota individual median of $50,400 and 320% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$50,400

+366%

State household median

$87,012

+170%

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)

$235,000 vs. Minnesota income benchmarks

Individual median (Minnesota)

$50,400

+366% vs. this salary

Household median (Minnesota)

$87,012

+170% 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.