Is Bloomington cheaper than Rochester?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bloomington and Rochester metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bloomington or Rochester?

Rochester has the higher median household income — $90,584 versus $81,240 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or Rochester?

A paycheck stretches further in Rochester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $99,739 there versus $86,853 in Bloomington.

Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or Rochester?

Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,034/mo versus $1,378/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bloomington vs Rochester

Metro-area medians — Bloomington, IL Metro Area vs Rochester, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bloomington and Rochester are evenly matched, each taking 4 of the clearly-decided measures.

Bloomington and Rochester cost about the same to live in, but Rochester households earn about 12% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Rochester.

Their widest everyday difference: Rochester has the tighter job market — 2.3% unemployment versus 3.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bloomington, IL

$57,601

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$61,581

real value after local prices

Rochester, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$63,534

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Rochester leaves you about $1,953/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Bloomington

Rochester

Livability (CityLedger)

71/100

88/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

93.5

90.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$86,853

$99,739

Median household income

$81,240

$90,584

Median rent

$1,034/mo

$1,378/mo

Median home value

$231,600

$320,600

Unemployment

3.6%

2.3%

Bachelor's degree or higher

48.1%

44.5%

Average commute

18.2 min

19.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

52°F

45°F

Choose Bloomington for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Bloomington profile →

Choose Rochester for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment

Full Rochester profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Bloomington and Rochester on cost, income, size, and education.

Bloomington vs Iowa City→Bloomington vs Columbia→Bloomington vs Champaign→Rochester vs Springfield→Rochester vs Sioux Falls→Rochester vs Columbia→

Bloomington vs Rochester — frequently asked

Is Bloomington cheaper than Rochester?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bloomington and Rochester metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bloomington or Rochester?: Rochester has the higher median household income — $90,584 versus $81,240 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 12% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or Rochester?: A paycheck stretches further in Rochester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $99,739 there versus $86,853 in Bloomington.
Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or Rochester?: Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,034/mo versus $1,378/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).