Is Minneapolis cheaper than Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 7% below Minneapolis's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?

Minneapolis has the higher median household income — $97,928 versus $82,402 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 19% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?

A paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $93,423 there versus $84,134 in Virginia Beach.

Which has cheaper rent, Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?

Minneapolis has cheaper rent — a median of $1,444/mo versus $1,556/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Minneapolis vs Virginia Beach

Metro-area medians — Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area vs Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Minneapolis comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Virginia Beach is about 7% cheaper to live in, while Minneapolis households earn about 19% 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

Virginia Beach, VA

$57,747

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$58,961

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Virginia Beach leaves you about $3,913/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

Virginia Beach

Livability (CityLedger)

74/100

58/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

104.8

97.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$93,423

$84,134

Median household income

$97,928

$82,402

Median rent

$1,444/mo

$1,556/mo

Median home value

$384,300

$363,400

Unemployment

3.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

45.9%

37%

Average commute

24.1 min

25.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

46°F

61°F

Choose Minneapolis for

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

Full Minneapolis profile →

Choose Virginia Beach for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median home value
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Virginia Beach profile →

Minneapolis vs Virginia Beach — frequently asked

Is Minneapolis cheaper than Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 7% below Minneapolis's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?: Minneapolis has the higher median household income — $97,928 versus $82,402 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 19% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?: A paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $93,423 there versus $84,134 in Virginia Beach.
Which has cheaper rent, Minneapolis or Virginia Beach?: Minneapolis has cheaper rent — a median of $1,444/mo versus $1,556/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).