Even on the area’s higher pay, Long Lake costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
Up 1.6% in a year, 26% above the Minnesota typical home.
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
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Long Lake’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: 22% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 64% of renters.
In dollars
- $440Ktypical home, 26% above the Minnesota typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,180a 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
- 4.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$100K, Minneapolis-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Long Lake
A burst of building in 2022
Long Lake permitted 133 new homes in 2022, 100% of them in buildings with two or more homes, in a decade when most years saw only a handful. 2025 came in at 1. New homes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 148 homes permitted in Long Lake’s past 10 years, 90% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Long Lake’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Long Lake is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Minnesota: up 10.1% in five years, against 14.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.1% in five years
Slower than Minnesota (14.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Long Lake | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $287,000 | $216,000 |
| 2018 | $315,000 | $231,000 |
| 2019 | $335,000 | $245,000 |
| 2020 | $339,000 | $257,000 |
| 2021 | $365,000 | $280,000 |
| 2022 | $398,000 | $311,000 |
| 2023 | $410,000 | $322,000 |
| 2024 | $411,000 | $329,000 |
| 2025 | $429,000 | $338,000 |
| 2026 | $434,000 | $346,000 |
| September 2026 | $440,000 | $349,000 |
A typical Long Lake home worth $281K in October 2016 is worth about $440K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Long Lake’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $58K short of a typical Long Lake home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,180 a month here, $500 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Long Lake’s typical property tax (1.04% 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 $2,180
Renters already here pay a median of $1,809, 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.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Long Lake in 2025. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Minnesota (3.8). Over the past 10 years, Long Lake has permitted 148 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Long Lake's population fell by 27 even though 7 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Minnesota: 2.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $920,000 |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $4.6 million |
| 2022 | 133 | 0 | 133 | $38.8 million |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $447,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $921,000 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $347,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $475,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $475,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $355,000 |
| 2005 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2004 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2003 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $211,000 |
| 2001 | 18 | 8 | 10 | $3.3 million |
| 2000 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $848,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Minnesota norm
The median bill is $4,381 (Minnesota: $3,357), 1.04% of a home’s value 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 Long Lake
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.
Long Lake and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Lake | C | $440K | $423K | 1.04% | $2,180 |
Questions about the cost of living in Long Lake
Is Long Lake expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Long Lake costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.2 years of the median household income of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area ($100K).
How much does a house cost in Long Lake?
About $440K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.6% in a year. The Minnesota typical home is $349K.
What salary do you need to live in Long Lake?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $115,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,680 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $87,000.
How much is rent in Long Lake?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,180 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,809 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Long Lake?
The median bill is $4,381 a year, 1.04% of the median home value (Minnesota: $3,357, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Long Lake going up?
Yes: up 1.6% in the past year and 10.1% in five years, against 14.1% across Minnesota (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Long Lake buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. 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.