Moving from California to Minnesota: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from California to Minnesota.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from California to Minnesota
California has graduated income tax rates up to 13.3% and Minnesota has graduated income tax rates up to 9.85%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,911 in state income tax in California and $5,277 in state income tax in Minnesota. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $934 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,899 a month across California's metro areas and $979 across Minnesota's (-48.5%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $58,891 in California and $58,289 in Minnesota. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between California & Minnesota
Moving from California to Minnesota on a $100,000 salary: pay $934 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $979 vs $1,899 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $934 lower in Minnesota than in California (0.9 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Minnesota's metros is $979 a month, versus $1,899 in California (-48.5%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$11,980 a year.
California: Graduated Brackets, top rate 13.3%. Minnesota: Graduated Brackets, top rate 9.85%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.