Is Laredo cheaper than St. Cloud?

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

Which has higher household income, Laredo or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $60,580 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 25% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Laredo or St. Cloud?

A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $69,667 in Laredo.

Which has cheaper rent, Laredo or St. Cloud?

Rents are close — $1,056/mo in the Laredo metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Laredo vs St. Cloud

Metro-area medians — Laredo, TX Metro Area vs St. Cloud, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

St. Cloud comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Laredo and St. Cloud cost about the same to live in, but St. Cloud households earn about 25% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud.

Their widest everyday difference: St. Cloud is more educated — 28.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 23.3%.

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

Laredo, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$70,511

real value after local prices

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Laredo leaves you about $4,665/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

Laredo

St. Cloud

Livability (CityLedger)

37/100

56/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

87.0

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$69,667

$86,370

Median household income

$60,580

$75,688

Median rent

$1,056/mo

$1,039/mo

Median home value

$207,100

$289,200

Unemployment

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

23.3%

28.5%

Average commute

22.1 min

22 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

75°F

43°F

Choose Laredo for

+ Median home value
+ Unemployment

Full Laredo profile →

Choose St. Cloud for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full St. Cloud profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Laredo and St. Cloud on cost, income, size, and education.

Laredo vs Brownsville→Laredo vs Elkhart→Laredo vs Valdosta→St. Cloud vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Topeka→St. Cloud vs Hattiesburg→

Laredo vs St. Cloud — frequently asked

Is Laredo cheaper than St. Cloud?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Laredo and St. Cloud metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Laredo or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $60,580 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 25% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Laredo or St. Cloud?: A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $69,667 in Laredo.
Which has cheaper rent, Laredo or St. Cloud?: Rents are close — $1,056/mo in the Laredo metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).