Is St. Cloud cheaper than Valdosta?

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

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

St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $59,180 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 28% more.

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

A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $67,044 in Valdosta.

Which has cheaper rent, St. Cloud or Valdosta?

St. Cloud has cheaper rent — a median of $1,039/mo versus $1,092/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

St. Cloud vs Valdosta

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

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

St. Cloud and Valdosta cost about the same to live in, but St. Cloud households earn about 28% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud.

Their widest everyday difference: St. Cloud has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 39 versus 44.

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

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

Valdosta, GA

$58,044

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,756

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, St. Cloud leaves you about $90/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

St. Cloud

Valdosta

Livability (CityLedger)

56/100

37/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

87.6

88.3

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$86,370

$67,044

Median household income

$75,688

$59,180

Median rent

$1,039/mo

$1,092/mo

Median home value

$289,200

$226,600

Unemployment

3.6%

3.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

28.5%

28.3%

Average commute

22 min

21 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

43°F

67°F

Choose St. Cloud for

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

Full St. Cloud profile →

Choose Valdosta for

+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Valdosta profile →

More comparisons

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

St. Cloud vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Topeka→St. Cloud vs Hattiesburg→Valdosta vs Abilene→Valdosta vs Bowling Green→Valdosta vs Hattiesburg→

St. Cloud vs Valdosta — frequently asked

Is St. Cloud cheaper than Valdosta?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the St. Cloud and Valdosta metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, St. Cloud or Valdosta?: St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $59,180 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 28% more.
Does a paycheck go further in St. Cloud or Valdosta?: A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $67,044 in Valdosta.
Which has cheaper rent, St. Cloud or Valdosta?: St. Cloud has cheaper rent — a median of $1,039/mo versus $1,092/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).