Cottage Grove, MN Cost Of Living

Cottage Grove cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Cottage Grove	Minnesota	National
Cost of living index	108	102	100
Index	Cottage Grove	Minnesota	National
Goods & Services index	107	105	100
Groceries index	105	106	100
Health care index	106	113	100
Housing index	119	100	100
Transportation index	105	103	100
Utilities index	90	89	100

An overview of the general cost of living index for Cottage Grove, MN is displayed above for your reference. Residents in Cottage Grove, MN enjoy a cost of living index of 108. This index is 6% higher than the Minnesota average, and 8% higher than the national average. The following categories are used when determining the cost of living index for any given city: health care (5%), transportation (9%), utilities (10%), groceries (13%), housing (30%), and goods/services (33%). Clearly, housing and goods/services make up the majority of the formula for calculating the cost of living index. Because of this, the general cost of living for any given area can be estimated by looking at the cost of everyday goods in that area. For those living in Cottage Grove, MN, the average cost of goods and services is 2% higher than it is in Minnesota, and it is 7% higher than the national average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Cottage Grove is 6% higher than the Minnesota average.
The cost of living in Cottage Grove is 8% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Cottage Grove is 19% higher than the national average.
Minnesota general sales tax is 35% higher than the national average.
Minnesota state income tax is 141% higher than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Use the salary calculator to compare your current income in Cottage Grove, MN to any other city in the country. The calculator will tell you how much income you would need to make in a particular city to live at the same level based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to move to is higher than that of Cottage Grove, MN, then you would need to earn a higher salary in order to enjoy the same standard of living. To use the Cottage Grove, MN salary calculator, enter the name of the new city, then move the slider to your current salary level. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if your salary would need to increase or decrease for the new city. You will also see a complete overview of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$93,490	$7,791	$2,181	$2,805
Renters	$41,154	$3,430	$960	$1,235

One can approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Cottage Grove, MN by the percentage of a person’s income that he or she spends on the monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side and keep one’s head above the water, a consumer should never spend more than 28 percent of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Cottage Grove, MN have a median income of $93,490. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $2,181 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $41,154, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $960.

Minnesota Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Minnesota	6.875%	7.875%

Minnesota Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Minnesota	5.35%	9.85%

When considering the overall cost of living expenses in Cottage Grove, MN, it's important to take into account the sales tax for Minnesota, as well as the rate for income tax in Minnesota. Goods and services sold to consumers in any state have some form of sales tax. Each state has its own tax code, which means that sales tax rates vary from state to state, ranging from over 7% in some states to as low as 0% in others. The maximum surtax for Minnesota is 7.875%, and the sales tax in the state of Minnesota is 6.875%. Alternatively, the tax imposed on your income by the state government is known as income tax. The rate for this tax also varies from state to state, and your rate is affected by your tax bracket, which is determined by your level of income. Income tax rates might be as high as 9%, down to as low as 0%. The range for income tax rates in Minnesota starts from 5.35% and goes up to 9.85%.

Goods & Services

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$22.35	$16.09	39.0%
Beauty Salon	$35.96	$37.33	3.7%
Toothpaste	$3.33	$2.45	35.9%
Shampoo	$1.07	$1.00	6.9%
Movie	$10.02	$10.28	2.5%
Bowling	$3.95	$4.93	19.8%

Groceries

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.16	$3.80	9.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.97	$1.40	41.3%
Milk	$2.22	$2.01	10.4%
Potatoes	$3.33	$3.01	10.5%
Pizza	$11.55	$9.89	16.8%
Beer	$8.97	$8.90	0.8%

Health Care

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$85.02	$102.16	16.8%
Doctor	$135.93	$108.36	25.4%
Dentist	$84.21	$92.53	9.0%
Ibuprofen	$11.98	$9.28	29.1%
Lipitor	$423.18	$425.82	0.6%

Housing

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$216,500.00	$184,700.00	17.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,261.54	$1,202.44	4.9%
Apartment Rent	$1,170.00	$949.00	23.3%

Transportation

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.23	$2.24	0.5%
Tire Balancing	$53.80	$46.29	16.2%

Utilities

Item	Cottage Grove	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$153.14	$165.96	7.7%
Phone	$24.99	$28.68	12.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Landfall, MN	793	75	-25%
South End, MN	26	78	-22%
St. Anthony city (Stearns County), MN	106	86	-14%
South St. Paul, MN	20,281	99	-1%
Prescott, WI	4,217	99	-1%
Cottage Grove, MN	35,632	108	8%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Newnan, GA	35,642	97	-3%
West Hollywood, CA	35,661	165	65%
Moorpark, CA	35,594	160	60%
Manhattan Beach, CA	35,573	274	174%
Little Elm, TX	35,553	98	-2%
Cottage Grove, MN	35,632	108	8%

Source: The Cottage Grove, MN cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Cottage Grove, MN Cost of Living