Is Minneapolis cheaper than Philadelphia?

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

Which has higher household income, Minneapolis or Philadelphia?

Minneapolis has the higher median household income — $97,928 versus $90,850 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Minneapolis or Philadelphia?

A paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $93,423 there versus $88,587 in Philadelphia.

Which has cheaper rent, Minneapolis or Philadelphia?

Minneapolis has cheaper rent — a median of $1,444/mo versus $1,567/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Minneapolis vs Philadelphia

Metro-area medians — Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area vs Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Minneapolis comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Minneapolis and Philadelphia cost about the same to live in, but Minneapolis households earn about 8% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis.

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

Minneapolis, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$55,048

real value after local prices

Philadelphia, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$57,541

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Philadelphia leaves you about $2,493/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

Minneapolis

Philadelphia

Livability (CityLedger)

74/100

61/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

104.8

102.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$93,423

$88,587

Median household income

$97,928

$90,850

Median rent

$1,444/mo

$1,567/mo

Median home value

$384,300

$375,100

Unemployment

3.8%

4.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

45.9%

43.3%

Average commute

24.1 min

29.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

46°F

56°F

Choose Minneapolis for

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

Full Minneapolis profile →

Choose Philadelphia for

No clear edge

Full Philadelphia profile →

Minneapolis vs Philadelphia — frequently asked

Is Minneapolis cheaper than Philadelphia?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Minneapolis and Philadelphia metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Minneapolis or Philadelphia?: Minneapolis has the higher median household income — $97,928 versus $90,850 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Minneapolis or Philadelphia?: A paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $93,423 there versus $88,587 in Philadelphia.
Which has cheaper rent, Minneapolis or Philadelphia?: Minneapolis has cheaper rent — a median of $1,444/mo versus $1,567/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).