Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos → Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.1 to 104.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $143/mo.

+$8,809
BLS median salary higher in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
395 to 259
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.4:1 to 13.9:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,156
DOL infant care higher / yr in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 98.1 → 104.8
Rent Delta: -$143/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $143/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $9K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 98.1 to 104.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $143/mo ($1,716/yr) from $1,852 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to $1,709 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington sits #332 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is #321/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,809 higher ($71,789 → $80,598). Labor-market size: 1,265,270 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,928,660 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.1
RPP 104.8
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Rent (2BR)
$1,852/mo
$1,709/mo
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Wages
$71,789
$80,598
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Crime
395 per 100K
259 per 100K
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Schools
14.4:1
13.9:1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$11,722/yr
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Environment
35693 violations
1033 violations
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to see what you'd need to earn in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026