Grand Island Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Grand Island to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 86.7 to 104.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $494/mo.

+$20,586
BLS median salary higher in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
217 to 259
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.5:1 to 15.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,859
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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 86.7 → 104.8
Rent Delta: +$494/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $21K higher median salary
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 18% higher cost of living
  • - $494/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 86.7 to 104.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (ratio 1.21). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $494/mo ($5,928/yr) from $1,215 in Grand Island to $1,709 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington.

Grand Island still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington sits #332 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Grand Island is #14/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $20,586 higher ($60,012 → $80,598). Labor-market size: 31,670 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,928,660 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Nebraska scores 67 (C, #16/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Grand Island
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 86.7
RPP 104.8
Grand Island
Rent (2BR)
$1,215/mo
$1,709/mo
Grand Island
Wages
$60,012
$80,598
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Crime
217 per 100K
259 per 100K
Grand Island
Schools
13.5:1
15.8:1
Grand Island
Childcare
$9,863/yr
$11,722/yr
Grand Island
Environment
2305 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 · Nebraska
67 C #16/51
Income tax
65
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
66
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 Grand Island 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
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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