2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$137,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+37.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$255
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,324
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$9,579/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

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

COL 158.9
Gross Parity Income $137,300
Federal Income Tax -$21,686
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,503
State Income Tax -$8,702
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,409
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$26,448
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,961

EPI family budgets put living costs 37.3% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Minneapolis goes about as far as $137,300 in Washington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,427 a month in Minneapolis and $2,204 in Washington, $9,324 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $255 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Washington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,579 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $59,320 in Minneapolis and $71,060 in Washington.

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) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,427$2,204+$777+54.4%
Food & Groceries$405$413+$8+2.0%
Transportation$1,061$1,045-$16-1.5%
Healthcare$361$389+$28+7.8%
Other Necessities$505$753+$248+49.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$2,196+$21+1.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$777/mo (54.4%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,427/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,204/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$704/mo (40.6%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,734/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,438/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$9.55/hr (37.3%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.60/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $35.15/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.00/hr (15.8%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.27/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $29.27/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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,570$156,460+$52,890 (+51.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,920$154,930+$24,010 (+18.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$103,040$102,710-$330 (-0.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,560$126,830+$25,270 (+24.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$86,500$102,140+$15,640 (+18.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,860$127,030+$29,170 (+29.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$165,620$185,270+$19,650 (+11.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$178,080$195,190+$17,110 (+9.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,890$75,930-$5,960 (-7.3%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,880$140,670+$13,790 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Cybersecurity AnalystTechnologyTechnology$130,710$148,950+$18,240 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$103,350$108,330+$4,980 (+4.8%)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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Relocation FAQs

About $137,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV Overview

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to match $100,000 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

About $137,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV cheaper than Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 37.3% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.