Raleigh-Cary → Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Raleigh-Cary to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.2 to 104.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $41/mo.

+$11,905
BLS median salary higher in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
365 to 259
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
16.1:1 to 13.9:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,235
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: 98.2 → 104.8
Rent Delta: -$41/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $12K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

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

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 98.2 to 104.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,750 → $1,709); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

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). Raleigh-Cary is #241/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,905 higher ($68,693 → $80,598). Labor-market size: 725,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,928,660 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Raleigh-Cary
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.2
RPP 104.8
Raleigh-Cary
Rent (2BR)
$1,750/mo
$1,709/mo
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Wages
$68,693
$80,598
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Crime
365 per 100K
259 per 100K
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Schools
16.1:1
13.9:1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$11,722/yr
Raleigh-Cary
Environment
3120 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 · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
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 Raleigh-Cary 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