City comparison

Flint, MI vs Minneapolis, MN

What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.

Key findings

  • Prices in Minneapolis, MN are 12.7% higher than in Flint, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Flint, MI would need about $112,700 in Minneapolis, MN to live the same way.
  • Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,405 a month in Minneapolis, MN versus $856 in Flint, MI. On $100,000, that's 23% of take-home pay in Minneapolis, MN and 14% in Flint, MI.
  • On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,277 a year higher in Minneapolis, MN than in Flint, MI.
  • For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −1.2% moving from Flint, MI to Minneapolis, MN ($117,402 → $116,038), while prices change by +12.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −12.3% in real buying power.
FlintMinneapolis
Price level (U.S. = 100):Under 9292–9898–102102–108Over 108
  • Flint, MI: price level 93.0 (cheaper)
  • Minneapolis, MN: price level 104.8 (pricier)

Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.

Side by side

Flint, MIMinneapolis, MN
Price level (U.S. = 100)293.0104.8
$100,000 is worth, in the other city2$112,671 in Minneapolis$88,754 in Flint
Typical 1-bedroom rent3$856/mo$1,405/mo
Take-home on $100,00014,15,8$75,181$73,903
State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8$3,999 (MI)$5,277 (MN)
Rent burden on $100,00014%23%
Median pay, all jobs4$45,880$59,320
Federal locality pay area7Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MIMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

Rent areas: Flint, MI MSA and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Flint, MI and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.

What costs more or less

Flint, MIMinneapolis, MN
Price level (U.S. = 100)FlintMinneapolis
Housing (rent)74.0111.8
Goods93.7103.1
Utilities97.193.5
Other services99.6104.4
Overall93.0104.8
BEA Regional Price Parities2. Housing covers rents.

Moving with the same $100,000 salary

Flint, MI → Minneapolis, MN

Same pay buys less

Buying power −11.2%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax +$1,277/yr.

38 Weak offer

Minneapolis, MN → Flint, MI

Same pay goes further

Buying power +12.7%; rent takes 14% of take-home; state tax −$1,277/yr.

100 Strong offer

On the GS pay scale?

Flint, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; Minneapolis, MN is in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI. The last column shows what a transfer from Flint, MI to Minneapolis, MN at the same grade and step does to real buying power.

Grade5,2Flint, MIMinneapolis, MNReal change, Flint → Minneapolis
GS-9 step 1$68,081$67,290−12.3%
GS-11 step 1$82,372$81,415−12.3%
GS-12 step 1$98,729$97,582−12.3%
GS-13 step 1$117,402$116,038−12.3%
GS-14 step 1$138,734$137,123−12.3%

Pay for common jobs

Median annual pay4Flint, MIMinneapolis, MNMinneapolis pay in Flint dollars
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$65,620$79,730$70,764 (+7.8%)
Software Developers$101,750$130,920$116,197 (+14.2%)
Accountants and Auditors$74,500$86,500$76,772 (+3.1%)
Registered Nurses$97,780$103,040$91,452 (−6.5%)

"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.

Check your own offer

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Taxes are estimates for a single filer taking the standard deduction; city and county income taxes are not included. See the methodology.

Notes & Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Metropolitan Statistical Area population estimates (Vintage 2025) (2025). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by MSA (MARPP), all items (2024). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, metropolitan areas (2025). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  5. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, General Schedule (GS) pay rates with locality pay, 2026 (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  6. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Locality codes used in the 2026 GS pay spreadsheet (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  7. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2026 Locality Pay Area Definitions (counties in each pay area) (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  8. Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  9. U.S. Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file: states, 1:20,000,000 (2024) (2024). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  10. U.S. Census Bureau, Gazetteer file: core based statistical areas (2025) (2025). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, table C24010 (occupation of employed residents) by ZIP code area (2024). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  12. U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files (2020; Connecticut 2022) and Gazetteer locations (2025) (2025). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  13. U.S. Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary files (ZIP code areas 2020; counties and states 2024) and TIGER/Line primary roads (2024) (2024). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  14. Internal Revenue Service, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets and standard deduction) (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  15. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide for 2026 (Social Security and Medicare) (2026). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  16. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, O*NET 31.0 Database: Job Titles (used under CC BY 4.0; O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA) (2026). Retrieved 2026-10-14.