2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Boston-Newton, MA

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$140,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+40.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$497
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$13,092
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$12,595/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

COL 115.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,277
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,903
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,779
Target Market
Destination Location

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Parity Income $140,500
Federal Income Tax -$22,454
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,748
State Income Tax -$6,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $100,493
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,277

EPI family budgets put living costs 40.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Minneapolis goes about as far as $140,500 in Boston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,427 a month in Minneapolis and $2,518 in Boston, $13,092 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $497 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $12,595 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $59,320 in Minneapolis and $66,620 in Boston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (Monthly) Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,427$2,518+$1,091+76.5%
Food & Groceries$405$418+$13+3.2%
Transportation$1,061$1,080+$19+1.8%
Healthcare$361$413+$52+14.4%
Other Necessities$505$832+$327+64.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,133-$42-1.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,091/mo (76.5%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,427/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,274/mo (73.5%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,734/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$10.37/hr (40.5%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.60/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$6.16/hr (24.4%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.27/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Median Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,570$133,800+$30,230 (+29.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$103,040$106,180+$3,140 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,920$166,090+$35,170 (+26.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$86,500$100,150+$13,650 (+15.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,560$135,640+$34,080 (+33.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,860$114,990+$17,130 (+17.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$165,620$209,780+$44,160 (+26.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$178,080$214,960+$36,880 (+20.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,890$79,910-$1,980 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,880$136,760+$9,880 (+7.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,100$206,610+$48,510 (+30.7%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$103,350$117,520+$14,170 (+13.7%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Relocation FAQs

About $140,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Boston-Newton, MA Overview

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Boston-Newton, MA compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to match $100,000 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

About $140,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH cheaper than Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 40.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.