Moving to Minnesota: City Guides, Checklist & Tips
Updated July 2026
Minnesota's income tax runs 5.35% to 9.85% across four brackets as of 2026 — among the higher state rates in the country — and the return on it shows up in the livability data. The Twin Cities metro hosts more Fortune 500 headquarters per capita than any other U.S. metro — UnitedHealth Group, Target, General Mills, Best Buy, and U.S. Bancorp among them — yet Minneapolis's cost of living runs just 7% above the national average, with a $375,000 median home price against a statewide typical home value of about $332,000 as of 2026, per Zillow. The word is getting out: in 2025 the state posted its first net domestic migration gain in seven years, with 8,300 more people moving in from other states than leaving. This hub collects our city-by-city relocation guides for Minnesota, plus the practical steps to become a resident.
Minnesota City Guides
Minneapolis
More Fortune 500 headquarters per capita than any other U.S. metro, with lakes and bike trails threaded through the neighborhoods.
Read the Minneapolis guide →Duluth
Lake Superior port city — the Great Lakes' largest port by tonnage — with hillside neighborhoods and a median home price around $258,000.
Guide coming soonRochester
Minnesota's third-largest city, built around Mayo Clinic and growing fast on the strength of its multibillion-dollar expansion.
Guide coming soon
Minnesota Living and Vacationing Quick Reference
Living here
- State income tax
- Progressive, 5.35% to 9.85% across four brackets as of 2026 — among the higher state rates in the country
- Sales tax
- 6.875% statewide, with local additions pushing combined rates as high as 9.875%
- Median home price
- About $332,000 statewide as of 2026, per Zillow — $375,000 in Minneapolis, around $258,000 in Duluth
- Cost of living
- About 7% above the national average in Minneapolis — index 107.2, modest for a metro that size
- Driver's license deadline
- 60 days after moving, and vehicle registration runs on the same 60-day clock — 30 days if you hold a commercial license
- Population
- About 5.8 million as of 2025, the 22nd most populous state
Visiting first
- Main airport
- Minneapolis–St. Paul International (MSP), a Delta hub with nonstops across the U.S. and to Europe
- National parks
- One — Voyageurs, a water-based park on the Canadian border — plus the Boundary Waters, the most-visited wilderness area in the country
- Best scouting months
- June through September, when the lakes are open and highs sit in the 80s — but a January visit shows the season you would actually live with
- The cold, honestly
- January lows average 8°F in Minneapolis and wind chills hit -20°F in cold snaps — but the city gets 198 sunny days a year, more than Seattle, and a climate-controlled skyway system links 80 downtown blocks
- More lakes than the plates claim
- The '10,000 lakes' slogan undersells it — the Minnesota DNR counts 11,842 lakes of 10 acres or more
- Getting around
- I-35 and I-94 cross at the Twin Cities; Duluth is about 2.5 hours north and Rochester 90 minutes south
How Minnesota Got Its Name
Minnesota comes from the Dakota name for the river that crosses it — Mni Sota, water so clear it carries the color of the sky. Translations range from "sky-tinted" to "cloudy," and Dakota speakers render the homeland as Mni Sota Makoce, "the land where the waters reflect the clouds." The state's American chapter began as a military outpost: Fort Snelling, established in 1819 on the bluff where the Minnesota River meets the Mississippi, was the center of early U.S. settlement in the region. Minneapolis and Saint Paul both grew out of it — a two-city metro of three million that traces back to a single frontier fort at a river junction.
How to Become a Minnesota Resident
Establishing residency unlocks a Minnesota driver's license, vehicle registration, in-state tuition, and resident access to state parks and programs. You establish residency in Minnesota by doing any one of the following — you don't need all of them:
- Renting or buying a house or apartment in Minnesota
- Being employed within Minnesota
- Being registered to vote in Minnesota
- Having a business located in Minnesota
- Having children who attend a Minnesota primary or secondary school
- Spending more than 183 days (6 months) out of a 12-month period in Minnesota
Minnesota Moving Checklist
- Transfer your driver's license and register your vehicle — deadline in the quick reference above
- Update your car insurance policy to meet Minnesota requirements
- Register to vote at your new address
- Transfer medical, dental, and school records, and enroll children in your new district
- Set up utilities — Xcel Energy covers gas and electric in much of the Twin Cities — and file your change of address with USPS
- Winterize before your first November: budget for real heating bills and make sure your vehicle is cold-ready
- Review the tax picture: Minnesota's progressive income tax runs 5.35% to 9.85% as of 2026
Questions Movers Ask About Minnesota
Does Minnesota have an income tax?
Yes — a progressive tax of 5.35% to 9.85% across four brackets as of 2026, among the higher state rates in the country. Sales tax adds 6.875% at the state level, with local additions pushing combined rates as high as 9.875%. The trade-off is well-funded public services, schools, and infrastructure that keep Minnesota near the top of livability rankings.
How expensive is it to live in Minnesota?
Less than the job market suggests. The statewide typical home value is about $332,000 as of 2026, per Zillow, and Minneapolis — the state's largest city — runs just 7% above the national average cost of living with a $375,000 median home price. That combination of Fortune 500 salaries and Midwest housing costs is the state's core economic pitch.
How long do I have to get a Minnesota driver's license after moving?
60 days. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services requires new residents to transfer their out-of-state license within 60 days of moving, and vehicle registration runs on the same 60-day clock. Commercial license holders get 30 days.
Is Minnesota really that cold?
Yes — the winters deserve respect, with January lows around 8°F in Minneapolis and wind chills of -20°F or colder during cold snaps. But the state gets 198 sunny days a year, more than Seattle, and locals have built a genuine winter culture: skating, hockey, cross-country skiing, and a skyway system connecting 80 downtown Minneapolis blocks so commutes stay indoors.
When should I visit Minnesota before deciding to move?
Scout twice if you can. June through September shows the state at its best — lakes open, trails busy, highs in the 80s. But a January visit shows the five-month season you would actually live with, and that test tells you more than any statistic.
Which Minnesota city should I move to?
Minneapolis is the practical answer for most movers — the deepest job market in the Upper Midwest at a cost of living just 7% above the national average, and the only Minnesota city with a dedicated ScoutLocale guide so far. Rochester suits healthcare careers built around Mayo Clinic, and Duluth trades job-market depth for Lake Superior and a median home price around $258,000.
Moving to Minnesota from Another State?
We compare the two states side by side — taxes, housing, and what changes on day one:
Sources and Data Notes
Residency options, license and vehicle-registration deadlines, and tax rates on this page reflect requirements published by Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services and the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Cost, housing, and job-market figures draw on the public datasets used across ScoutLocale's city guides, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and Niche.com.
Comparing states? Browse moving guides for every state.