What is the Cost of Living in Rochester, MN?

Rochester is one of the best cities to live in America (#28), raise a family (23) and buy a house (#3). But how does it rank in terms of the cost of living? Overall Rochester have a affordability score of 94.1 vs. the national average of 100. But let’s take a closer look at some of factors that contribute to that score. 

Real Estate | Statistics

Median Sale Price for homes – $280,000 for a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house. 

Rental Market $1,000 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath. 

4b/2b home is about $1,800

If you would like to get a list of the most affordable homes in Rochester, MN I will have a link on the video description below. And if you want to check out one of the most affordable neighborhood here in Rochester, check this video out. 

Taxes

State income Tax – Graduated tax with four rates. 

5.35% up to 9.85 

Sales Tax – 8.125% consisting of 6.88% Minnesota state sales tax and 1.25% Rochester local sales taxes

One nice thing is that Groceries and clothing are exempt from the Rochester and Minnesota state sales taxes. So you can drive 1 hour north to the Mall of America and go shopping without feeling too bad. 

Examples of sales tax in other cities 

Property Taxes – Will be about 1% of the market value of the property. Link with Tax estimator.

https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/residents/land-property/property-taxes/olmsted-county-property-tax-estimator

So for example if you buy a house for $300,000 you can expect your property taxes to be about $3,000-$3,500 a year. 

Transportation

Gas right now is about $3.10 https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/minnesota/rochester

Park & Ride lots 

Bus system https://www.rochestermn.gov/government/departments/public-transportation

One questions I get often here on YT is:

Do you need a car to live in Rochester, MN? If you live in the downtown area you can probably get away without having a car but during the winter it will be challenging to get groceries. 

Utilities

99.7 your energy bill will be about $168/month

Gas – Furnace 

Food

99.9% so we are right around the national average. 

 FAQs