Is Bowling Green cheaper than St. Cloud?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and St. Cloud metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $65,869 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or St. Cloud?

A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $73,043 in Bowling Green.

Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or St. Cloud?

Rents are close — $1,024/mo in the Bowling Green metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bowling Green vs St. Cloud

Metro-area medians — Bowling Green, KY Metro Area vs St. Cloud, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

St. Cloud comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Bowling Green and St. Cloud cost about the same to live in, but St. Cloud households earn about 15% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bowling Green, KY

$58,444

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$64,809

real value after local prices

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, St. Cloud leaves you about $1,037/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Bowling Green

St. Cloud

Livability (CityLedger)

41/100

56/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.2

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,043

$86,370

Median household income

$65,869

$75,688

Median rent

$1,024/mo

$1,039/mo

Median home value

$258,900

$289,200

Unemployment

4.3%

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

27.1%

28.5%

Average commute

21.4 min

22 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

59°F

43°F

Choose Bowling Green for

+ Median home value

Full Bowling Green profile →

Choose St. Cloud for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full St. Cloud profile →

Bowling Green vs St. Cloud — frequently asked

Is Bowling Green cheaper than St. Cloud?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and St. Cloud metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $65,869 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or St. Cloud?: A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $73,043 in Bowling Green.
Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or St. Cloud?: Rents are close — $1,024/mo in the Bowling Green metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).