$65,000 in Minneapolis

[StPaulGal]

I know it's not super helpful, but as others have said the only real answer possible is "it depends." It's significantly above the average income in the Twin Cities ($52,080, according to a Business Insider article from 2016). But of course, that average includes a lot of people who aren't necessarily supporting themselves and their families on those salaries and a lot of people who are but are barely scraping by.

Personally, in a completely subjective observation, I would say $65K sounds like a very solid professional-level salary. It's nothing jaw-dropping, but you should be able to rent a decent place and drive a decent car and such.

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by StPaulGal

I know it's not super helpful, but as others have said the only real answer possible is "it depends." It's significantly above the average income in the Twin Cities ($52,080, according to a Business Insider article from 2016). But of course, that average includes a lot of people who aren't necessarily supporting themselves and their families on those salaries and a lot of people who are but are barely scraping by.

Personally, in a completely subjective observation, I would say $65K sounds like a very solid professional-level salary. It's nothing jaw-dropping, but you should be able to rent a decent place and drive a decent car and such.

City-data has a wealth of information about average area income, by zip code, I believe. Twin Cities appears to have a lot of income diversity, with neighboring areas often having high vs. low income. The OP may want to use this data to gauge where he or she would "fit" in the Twin Cities.

[vladlensky]

Depends on your debt-to-income ratio and family size.

I lived comfortably (as a single, no kids, low debt) on much less than $65k a year in Hopkins, which is a suburb of Minneapolis. I was able to easily cover groceries, rent, car payment and utilities with some left over. It all depends on what you consider to be essential components to your lifestyle, which can eat into your budget.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bus...?client=safari

According to this article you would need a minimum salary of $50,500 to afford an average home in Minneapolis. That being said, according to this information you should be able to get by ok with a salary of 65k.

[Minntoaz]

Depends where you're coming from and who is with you. Taxes here will get you. Second only to California. Factor those in via an online state tax calaculator before making any decisions.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

Depends where you're coming from and who is with you. Taxes here will get you. Second only to California. Factor those in via an online state tax calaculator before making any decisions.

17th, if state and local sales taxes combined are considered, according to the Tax Foundation ...

https://taxfoundation.org/state-and-...ax-rates-2016/

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by WoodburyWoody

17th, if state and local sales taxes combined are considered, according to the Tax Foundation ...

https://taxfoundation.org/state-and-...ax-rates-2016/

That link only accounts for sales tax which is just part of the overall tax burden equation. According to this source Minnesota is ranked 6th for overall tax burden:

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-wit...-burden/20494/

That being said, I would argue that you get what you pay for as MN outranks other states in quality of education, healthcare, etc.

[mr roboto]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

That link only accounts for sales tax which is just part of the overall tax burden equation. According to this source Minnesota is ranked 6th for overall tax burden:

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-wit...-burden/20494/

That being said, I would argue that you get what you pay for as MN outranks other states in quality of education, healthcare, etc.

Yep. Minnesota is an example of higher-tax liberalism actually working quite well.

[pvoyd]

Originally Posted by mr roboto

Yep. Minnesota is an example of higher-tax liberalism actually working quite well.

For some (many? most?) residents, it does. However, given the sorry state of many urban (and, increasingly, suburban) schools, a lot of people do not share in the Minnesota's success.

I am not taking a position on American liberalism or high vs. low taxes here, just disagreeing with the generality of the above comment.