Minneapolis vs. Seattle cost of living (St. Paul, Burnsville: lease, condos, how much) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

Arushan · 07-24-2010, 05:41 PM

Which city has the overall lower cost of living? Taking account housing/rents, food, utilities, taxes, etc.

I heard somewhere that the cost of living index is the same in both cities, but I'd like somebody to confirm this. It looks to me like housing is cheaper in Minneapolis.

rcsteiner · 07-24-2010, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arushan

Which city has the overall lower cost of living? Taking account housing/rents, food, utilities, taxes, etc.

I heard somewhere that the cost of living index is the same in both cities, but I'd like somebody to confirm this. It looks to me like housing is cheaper in Minneapolis.

According to City Data:

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Minneapolis: 101.1 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Seattle: 126.5 (high, U.S. average is 100)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Minnea...#ixzz0ueTq8lPl

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Seattl...#ixzz0ueU5c4AG

This doesn't surprise me ... I had a series of job interviews back in 2004 at the University of Washington, so we did some preliminary looking at housing, and we found home prices to be considerably higher in and around Seattle than they were in and around Minneapolis.

Radical_Car · 07-24-2010, 07:45 PM

I think for the most part the Twin Cities are generally cheaper though Seattle does have lots of good paying hi tech jobs. I have an older cousin who currently lives in Richfield, MN, he used to live right in Minneapolis Proper and moved to Seattle with his girlfriend, until he broke up. Then he moved back. I don't know what he though of Seattle though

The Pacific Northwest is a gorgeous area and IMO one of the most beautiful places in the country. Look up Seattle highways on youtube and they're stunning, except for the awful gridlocked traffic.
I also really like the gray clouds I see in the videos, while a lot of people seem to hate them, BUT if I lived there, I may think differently. Seattle is one of the few major cities I would love to visit.

Arushan · 07-24-2010, 08:39 PM

Thanks for the info.

I'm living in Seattle and I'm planning to move to the Twin Cities once my lease expires. I do enjoy living Seattle, but I want to be able to buy a condo for under $50,000 and that just isn't going to happen here. I'm looking into Burnsville at the moment. What are your opinions on the suburb?

Also, I'm wondering what the people are like over there. People in Seattle are known to be polite, aloof, active, liberal, and reserved. I do great with the people here, so hopefully Minnesotans will be similar. I heard before that they do act similar there.

The prospect of bright, sunny, and snowy days in the winter and colorful autumns excite me. I'll be sacrificing the mountains, pest-free forests, the Puget Sound, and somewhat mild temps. The lakes and forests in MN will do just fine though. But if I can live with a healthier budget and a place I can own, I'm all for it.

mmhl · 07-24-2010, 08:57 PM

We recently looked at relocating to the Seattle area & it was definitely more expensive than the Mpls/ St. Paul area. I think that as a general rule, the attributes you described of people in Seattle could easily be described of people in MN.

Radical_Car · 07-24-2010, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmhl

We recently looked at relocating to the Seattle area & it was definitely more expensive than the Mpls/ St. Paul area. I think that as a general rule, the attributes you described of people in Seattle could easily be described of people in MN.

At the Seattle board theres always people talking about how expensive Seattle is and is it really as expensive as people make it seem to be. That all depends on many, many factors. Depending on your lifestyle and how much you make and if you're renting or buying and if you're single or married or have kids, it can vary a lot. But ya, I would say in general Seattle is more expensive then the Twin Cities.

mplsjacob · 07-25-2010, 12:46 AM

Quote:

I'm living in Seattle and I'm planning to move to the Twin Cities once my lease expires. I do enjoy living Seattle, but I want to be able to buy a condo for under $50,000 and that just isn't going to happen here. I'm looking into Burnsville at the moment. What are your opinions on the suburb?

You won't find anything decent here in the Twin Cities under $100K. I love love LOVE minneapolis, but seattle is one of the few other cities in the country i would want to live in. my sister and several friends live out there - it is so so so gorgeous.

when people ask what is so great about seattle, i say that it is minneapolis, but just slightly better in most ways.

but yes, housing prices in seattle are (slightly) higher. i'd say if you can make it in one city, you could make it in the other. when deciding between the two, there is no wrong decision!

Arushan · 07-25-2010, 01:41 AM

Well, I'm a student and all I need is a low-end 1bdr condo. I see some cheap ones on realtor.com....not sure how much the dues are though... But I'll be renting once I'm there anyway. So no need to really get ahead of myself.

Yeah, both cities are my top favorites in the country!

gearedtowardssalad · 07-25-2010, 06:45 AM

One of my friends lived in Seattle and I remember his rent being ridiculously high, but based on the research I've done the few times I almost moved to Seattle, it seems reasonably priced for neighborhoods where you're able to walk to everything you need.

golfgal · 07-25-2010, 07:00 AM

Burnsville used to be one of the nicest areas in the metro. It isn't so any longer. There are still several nice areas but there are some pretty sketchy areas as well. Many of those condos are in those areas, thus the low price, but for a single guy, not as big of an issue. Where will you be working though? Is Burnsville any where near there?