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

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

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

-$8,809
BLS median salary lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
259 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.9:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,156
DOL infant care lower / yr in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

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: 104.8 → 98.1
Rent Delta: +$143/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $143/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $9K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 104.8 to 98.1, so each dollar covers more in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $143/mo ($1,716/yr) from $1,709 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington to $1,852 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos.

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

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

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: 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
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 104.8
RPP 98.1
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Rent (2BR)
$1,709/mo
$1,852/mo
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Wages
$80,598
$71,789
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Crime
259 per 100K
395 per 100K
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Schools
13.9:1
14.4:1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Childcare
$11,722/yr
$7,566/yr
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Environment
1033 violations
35693 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 · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44

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

Equivalent salary in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
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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