Overall
91.0
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Mankato, MN
Cost-of-living indicators for Mankato, MN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.0
- Overall RPP
- #269
- of 387 metros
- 79.9
- Rents RPP
- $110K
- $100K national buys
Mankato ranks #269 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 5.9 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to College Station-Bryan
The verdict
Mankato costs less than 70% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.0, 9.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 79.9.
- bottom 30%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 95.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,944 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,955.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 5.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2012, when the index jumped 8.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Mankato overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 85.1 |
| 2009 | 88.7 |
| 2010 | 92.7 |
| 2011 | 86.3 |
| 2012 | 94.5 |
| 2013 | 94.1 |
| 2014 | 89.4 |
| 2015 | 92.0 |
| 2016 | 88.6 |
| 2017 | 89.3 |
| 2018 | 94.8 |
| 2019 | 94.8 |
| 2020 | 91.2 |
| 2021 | 88.3 |
| 2022 | 88.9 |
| 2023 | 87.6 |
| 2024 | 91.0 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Mankato's overall RPP rose +3.3 points, from 87.6 in 2023 to 91.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 64.1 to 79.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$90,955
in Mankato, MN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,478
$75,000 nationally
$68,216
$125,000 nationally
$113,694
$150,000 nationally
$136,433
$200,000 nationally
$181,910
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
47/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
47th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Mankato's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Mankato: rents index at 79.9, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 91.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Hinesville, GA, Rochester, MN, Warner Robins, GA. They resemble Mankato across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Mankato's overall index has risen by 5.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Mankato vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
91 Bottom 30% higher than 30% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Mankato cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
79.9 RPP
- Services
Services
87.1 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91 RPP
- Goods
Goods
95.4 RPP
What this shows Mankato's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 79.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Mankato's cost comes from
Metros near Mankato's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Mankato (Mankato, this metro): goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 79.9
- College Station: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 75.1
- Erie: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 56.8
- Clarksville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Saginaw: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.6
- Bismarck: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 84
- Fargo: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 81.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
95.4
Below avg
Services
87.0
Cheap
Rents
79.9
Cheap
MN-relative analysis
Services prices places Mankato, MN near the bottom of MN's metros
Among the 5 MN metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Mankato, MN ranks #5 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Mankato, MN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 5
20th percentile in MN
Services prices
#5 of 5
0th percentile in MN
Rent prices
#2 of 5
60th percentile in MN
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MN only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Mankato, MN: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (91.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (79.9 here).
Other MN Metros
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 104.8 Rochester, MN 90.8 Duluth, MN-WI 88.8 St. Cloud, MN 87.6
View all MN metros → Cheapest in MN → Most expensive in MN →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Mankato, MN's index of 91.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Mankato's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Hinesville, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 86.8 · Rents 79.5 Rochester, MN
Goods 95.4 · Services 87.4 · Rents 78.6 Warner Robins, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.1 · Rents 79.2 Columbia, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 79.5 Tallahassee, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 78.5 Homosassa Springs, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 78.4
Shareable data card
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Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Mankato
How to read Mankato's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $109,944 in Mankato. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 79.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Mankato head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Mankato, MN?
Mankato, MN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.0, meaning it is 9.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 95.4, services at 87.0, and rents at 79.9. It ranks #269 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Mankato, MN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,955 in Mankato, MN. Conversely, $100K earned in Mankato, MN has the purchasing power of $109,944 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Mankato, MN?
Rents in Mankato, MN are indexed at 79.9, which is 20.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Mankato, MN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Mankato, MN's overall cost index changed by +5.9 points (from 85.1 to 91.0). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Mankato, MN?
The priciest category in Mankato, MN is goods at 95.4, 4.6% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 79.9, 20.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Mankato, MN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include College Station-Bryan, Erie, Clarksville. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Mankato, MN's 91.0.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.