Moving to Minnesota
New residents have 60 days to get a Minnesota driver license and must register a car within 60 days. Prices are 1.4% below the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $5,277 in Minnesota income tax. 53,331 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Wisconsin and North Dakota.
New resident checklist for Minnesota
Driver license
You may drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 60 days after becoming a resident (Minn. Stat. 171.03). Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Minnesota address.
Vehicle title and registration
60 days to register a passenger vehicle. Register immediately if the out-of-state registration has expired. No safety or emissions inspection. Switch your auto insurance to a Minnesota policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No Minnesota motor vehicle sales tax if the vehicle was bought and titled in your name in another state for at least 60 days before you moved. Otherwise tax is due, with credit for tax paid to another state.
Annual registration: By value and age: $10 plus 1.575% of MSRP for vehicles first registered on or after Nov 16, 2020. The taxable value declines each year of vehicle age to a floor for older vehicles.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $150.
Establishing residency
The 60-day license and registration clocks start on the date you become a Minnesota resident. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Minnesota
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Minnesota income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,837 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: dps.mn.gov. Sources: revisor.mn.gov, revisor.mn.gov (2), dps.mn.gov (2), afdc.energy.gov. Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Minnesota motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Minnesota
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Minnesota.
Equal salary in MN: $81,000
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,000 in Minnesota to match $75,000 in Wisconsin ($6,000 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $75,000 | Wisconsin | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,670 | $7,670 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,738 | $5,738 |
| State income tax | $2,944 | $3,577 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $330 |
| Take-home pay | $58,649 | $57,686 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Minnesota: Wisconsin to Minnesota, North Dakota to Minnesota, California to Minnesota, Texas to Minnesota, Florida to Minnesota and Iowa to Minnesota.
Living in Minnesota: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Minnesota is in the best 10 for health premiums and electric bills, and in the worst 10 for state income tax and homeowners insurance.
- Median rent
- $1,291/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $2,270/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $73,463 $1,615 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 1.02% median $3,501/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 76.7 of 100 Above average for U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 53,331 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Minnesota
How Minnesota ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Minnesota ranks best
- Top 5 Lowest Marketplace health premiums: $448 a month for a benchmark plan at age 40, before subsidies (KFF 2026), 3rd lowest of 51.
- Top 10 Lowest electric bills: $110 a month on average (EIA 2024), tied with 2 other states for 7th lowest.
Where Minnesota ranks worst
- Bottom 5 Highest state income tax: $5,277 on a $100,000 salary, 5th highest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest homeowners insurance: $1,837 a year at the median for homes with a mortgage (Census ACS 2024), 8th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Minnesota residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 53,331 households filed their taxes in Minnesota after filing in another state the year before. Wisconsin sent the most, 8,321 households (16% of the total). Minnesota lost a net 5,106 households to other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Minnesota from other states reached a five-year high in 2022–23: 53,331 households, up 11% from 2018–19. Minnesota lost households to other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 −2,985, 2019–20 −6,238, 2020–21 −9,146, 2021–22 −8,278, 2022–23 −5,106.
Cost of living in Minnesota vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Minnesota are 1.4% below the U.S. average, 30th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in utilities (90.8), 9% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $110/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,103/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $448/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Minnesota: take-home pay at three incomes
Minnesota taxes wages. Workers also pay about $440 a year in state payroll programs at $100,000, which the take-home figures include. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | MN income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,877 | $40,258 | -$520 |
| $100,000 | $5,277 | $73,463 | -$1,615 |
| $150,000 | $8,942 | $104,189 | -$3,397 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Minnesota income and payroll taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 6.875% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $3,501 a year in property tax, 1.02% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Minnesota taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Minnesota: where a paycheck goes furthest
The Minneapolis metro area is the only one of the 149 U.S. metro areas we cover that is centered in Minnesota. About $85,900 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | $85,900 | 104.8 | $1,444 | $384,300 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Parts of Minnesota also belong to the Sioux Falls and Fargo metro areas, which are centered outside Minnesota.
Housing and home insurance in Minnesota
| Measure | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,291 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $344,600 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,270 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $97,272 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $3,501 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,837 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Minnesota for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Minnesota
Minnesota's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 76.7 of 100, above average for U.S. counties and 18th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $453 per resident a year, and about 32% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Minnesota county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Minnesota come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 53,331 households moved to Minnesota from other states. The most came from Wisconsin (8,321 households), North Dakota (4,007) and California (3,396).
What are the pros and cons of living in Minnesota?
Where Minnesota ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest Marketplace health premiums, 3rd lowest of 51; lowest electric bills, tied with 2 other states for 7th lowest. Where it ranks worst: highest state income tax, 5th highest of 51; highest homeowners insurance, 8th highest of 51.
Is Minnesota expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Minnesota are 1.4% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 98.6, 2024), 30th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,291 a month and the median home is worth $344,600.
How long do I have to get a Minnesota driver license after moving?
60 days after becoming a resident. You may drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 60 days after becoming a resident (Minn. Stat. 171.03).
How long do I have to register my car in Minnesota?
60 days. 60 days to register a passenger vehicle. Register immediately if the out-of-state registration has expired. No safety or emissions inspection.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Minnesota?
No Minnesota motor vehicle sales tax if the vehicle was bought and titled in your name in another state for at least 60 days before you moved. Otherwise tax is due, with credit for tax paid to another state.
What makes me a Minnesota resident?
The 60-day license and registration clocks start on the date you become a Minnesota resident.