Overall
90.8
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Rochester, MN
Cost-of-living indicators for Rochester, MN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 90.8
- Overall RPP
- #275
- of 387 metros
- 78.6
- Rents RPP
- $110K
- $100K national buys
Rochester ranks #275 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.4 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Baton Rouge
The verdict
Rochester costs less than 71% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 90.8, 9.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 78.6.
- bottom 29%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 95.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $110,107 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,821.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Rochester's overall RPP fell -2.1 points, from 93.0 in 2023 to 90.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 93.0 to 78.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index dropped 4.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Rochester overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.2 |
| 2009 | 95.6 |
| 2010 | 91.2 |
| 2011 | 93.6 |
| 2012 | 94.5 |
| 2013 | 93.9 |
| 2014 | 95.9 |
| 2015 | 93.6 |
| 2016 | 92.8 |
| 2017 | 92.8 |
| 2018 | 93.1 |
| 2019 | 94.7 |
| 2020 | 96.7 |
| 2021 | 91.9 |
| 2022 | 92.0 |
| 2023 | 93.0 |
| 2024 | 90.8 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Rochester's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Rochester: rents index at 78.6, 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 90.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Tallahassee, FL, Homosassa Springs, FL, Warner Robins, GA. They resemble Rochester 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, Rochester's overall index has fallen by 4.4 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.
Rochester vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
91 Bottom 29% higher than 29% 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
Rochester cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
78.6 RPP
- Services
Services
87.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
90.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
95.4 RPP
What this shows Rochester's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 78.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.4. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Rochester's cost comes from
Metros near Rochester's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Rochester (Rochester, this metro): goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 78.6
- Baton Rouge: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74.2
- Fargo: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 81.1
- Saginaw: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.6
- Clarksville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Erie: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 56.8
- College Station: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 75.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
95.4
Below avg
Services
87.4
Cheap
Rents
78.6
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$90,821
in Rochester, MN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,411
$75,000 nationally
$68,116
$125,000 nationally
$113,526
$150,000 nationally
$136,232
$200,000 nationally
$181,642
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
50/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
50th 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.
MN-relative analysis
Goods prices places Rochester, MN toward the bottom of MN's metros
Among the 5 MN metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Rochester, MN ranks #2 - the 20th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Rochester, MN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 5
20th percentile in MN
Services prices
#3 of 5
40th percentile in MN
Rent prices
#3 of 5
40th 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 Rochester, 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 (90.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (78.6 here).
Other MN Metros
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 104.8 Mankato, MN 91.0 Duluth, MN-WI 88.8 St. Cloud, MN 87.6
View all MN metros → Cheapest in MN → Most expensive in MN →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Rochester'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.
Tallahassee, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 78.5 Homosassa Springs, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 78.4 Warner Robins, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.1 · Rents 79.2 Mankato, MN
Goods 95.4 · Services 87.0 · Rents 79.9 Hinesville, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 86.8 · Rents 79.5 Columbia, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 79.5
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Rochester, MN's index of 90.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Rochester
How to read Rochester'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 $110,107 in Rochester. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 78.6, 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 Rochester 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 Rochester, MN?
Rochester, MN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 90.8, meaning it is 9.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 95.4, services at 87.4, and rents at 78.6. It ranks #275 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Rochester, MN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,821 in Rochester, MN. Conversely, $100K earned in Rochester, MN has the purchasing power of $110,107 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Rochester, MN?
Rents in Rochester, MN are indexed at 78.6, which is 21.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Rochester, MN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Rochester, MN's overall cost index changed by -4.4 points (from 95.2 to 90.8). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Rochester, MN?
The priciest category in Rochester, 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 78.6, 21.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Rochester, MN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Baton Rouge, Fargo, Saginaw. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Rochester, MN's 90.8.
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.