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Living in Minnesota ยท 2026

Is $69,000 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

$4,413

Avg monthly expenses

$2,331

Avg monthly surplus

$2,082

Savings potential

~47%

After-tax take-home in Minnesota

Gross salary$69,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $6,534
State income taxโˆ’ $4,232
Social Securityโˆ’ $4,278
Medicareโˆ’ $1,001
Annual take-home$52,955
Effective tax rate23.25%

How $69,000 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: $1,697/mo
Rent burden: 36.3% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
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: $1,906/mo
Rent burden: 32.9% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
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: $2,310/mo
Rent burden: 26.1% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
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: $2,520/mo
Rent burden: 22.7% 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: $2,012/mo
Rent burden: 31.7% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
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: $2,047/mo
Rent burden: 30.6% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Brooklyn Park analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $4,413 ($52,956/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$2,207

per month

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

$1,324

per month

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

$883

per month

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

Needs / year

$26,478

Wants / year

$15,887

Savings / year

$10,591

Salary Intelligence

Below comfortable level in Minneapolis

Rent would consume 36% of take-home income โ€” above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.

Lifestyle score: 6.2/10 (Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $69,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with approximately $1,697/month (~38% 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 $69,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $58,974 in an average-cost US city, or $69,590 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$69,000 is 37% above the Minnesota individual median ($50,400) and 23% above the US national median of $56,000.

State individual median

$50,400

+37%

State household median

$87,012

-21%

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)

$69,000 vs. Minnesota income benchmarks

Individual median (Minnesota)

$50,400

+37% vs. this salary

Household median (Minnesota)

$87,012

-21% 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.