Even on the area’s higher pay, Buffalo Township costs more to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Buffalo Township have risen about 38% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area ($100K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Buffalo Township’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($100K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 26% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 33% of renters.
In dollars
- $1,520a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 105prices across the Minneapolis metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 112)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$100K, Minneapolis-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Buffalo Township
What’s behind Buffalo Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Buffalo Township is more affordable than 38% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Home prices up 38% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Buffalo Township rose 38% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Minnesota. Last year prices rose 3.2%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Buffalo Township home at roughly $475,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $475K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Buffalo Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 4.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Buffalo Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $86K short of a typical Buffalo Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,520 a month here, $1,330 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Buffalo Township’s typical property tax (0.90% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,520
Renters already here pay a median of $1,375, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $3,893 (Minnesota: $3,357), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.90% a year, against 1.02% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Buffalo Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, or Minnesota. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 105 | MN 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 103 | MN 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 93 | MN 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 104 | MN 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Buffalo Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Buffalo Township. Maple Lake Township and Rockford Township and Monticello Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Township | C+ | — | $431K | 0.90% | $1,520 |
| Buffalo | B− | $381K | $314K | 1.11% | $1,520 |
| Monticello Township | B | — | $371K | 0.76% | $1,660 |
| Rockford Township | B− | — | $405K | 0.92% | $1,520 |
| Maple Lake Township | – | — | $470K | 0.79% | $1,520 |
| St. Michael | B− | $442K | $390K | 1.08% | $1,520 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Buffalo Township
Is Buffalo Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Buffalo Township costs more than 62% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.3 years of the median household income of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area ($100K).
How much is rent in Buffalo Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,520 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,375 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Buffalo Township?
The median bill is $3,893 a year, 0.90% of the median home value (Minnesota: $3,357, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Buffalo Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.