Rochester vs Mankato leftover
Moving to Mankato costs you $671 a month
$2,326/mo leftover in Mankato vs $2,997 in Rochester after tax and rent ($671 less). −$8,052 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Rochester leftover
$2,997
a month after tax and rent
Mankato leftover
$2,326
−$671 vs Rochester
Compare Rochester to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Rochester.
Monthly gap
Rochester → Mankato
$671
less / month in Rochester
$2,326 in Mankato · $2,997 in Rochester · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 47 households moved Rochester → Mankato (avg AGI $49,596). 76 went the other way. The whole move →
−$671 / mo
| Per month | Rochester | Mankato | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,250 | $6,616 | −$1,634 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,186 | $1,591 | −$596 |
| Take-home pay | $6,064 | $5,025 | −$1,039 |
| Rent | $1,330 | $934 | −$396 |
| Getting around | $461 | $489 | +$28 |
| Groceries | $352 | $352 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $396 | $396 | $0 |
| Utilities | $220 | $220 | $0 |
| Everything else | $308 | $308 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,997 | $2,326 | −$671 |
To break even in Mankato, you'd need to earn
$92,000
Household gross, versus $99,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Rochester does now.
The tax difference alone
+$1,334
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.5% in Rochester, 24.0% in Mankato.
More about Mankato
Rochester, MN in full
State income tax topping out at 9.85%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,583 and 195 sunny days; commutes average 21 minutes.
Mankato, MN in full
State income tax topping out at 9.85%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,112 and 203 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Mankato on Mankato wages.
Mankato → Rochester →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Mankato than Rochester?
A one-bedroom is about $1,330 in Rochester versus $934 in Mankato. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $671 a month lower in Mankato. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Mankato have state income tax?
Mankato is in Minnesota, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Rochester to Mankato?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Minnesota tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Rochester and Mankato moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.