Could I live on 40,000 a year near Minneapolis?

[Drewcifer]

St Paul west of downtown might be worth looking at too. It tends to be a bit cheaper than comparable parts of Minneapolis and parking is rarely an issue. If you make a box from I-94 south to St Clair or Randolph Ave from downtown west to the river/Minneapolis; that is probably a good place to look. Apartments with porches seem to be more common in St Paul than Minneapolis. I used to have one of those, they are nice in the summer.

And for what it is worth, I live on less than $40k in Minneapolis, although I don't have any loans.

[ocsid]

My one bit of advice would be to not look for apartments in Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center.
You may find what appears to be affordable options, but a lot of those apartments in that area are really rough.

Anoka might not be a bad option for someone just starting out. Coon Rapids is pretty mixed, as is Fridley.
If you can find a place in NE Minneapolis, that would be my choice. Cool area and you'd have a really easy commute.

[StilltheSame]

Tough depends on your background. We are from Miami and NYC so what is described as bad/ tough neighborhoods by some is amusing to us. If your experience/ sensitivity is higher then it may align.
I wanted to throw Hopkins in the mix for housing. It is small and a bit away from Brooklyn Center but has a small but cute walkable main street and I think has some affordable housing options - all close to public transportation.

[Milesperhour]

I lived on 12k a year when I did AmeriCorps in Minneapolis, and rented a place in Whittier within walking distance to downtown. 40k with student loans and a car is totally possible.