Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, St. Cloud costs less to live in than 51% of U.S. towns
It ranks #119 of 273 in Minnesota for affordability. Up 1.2% in a year, 27% below the Minnesota typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the St. Cloud, MN metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the St. Cloud metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.9 years of metro income, and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $256Ktypical home, 27% below the Minnesota typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,320a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the St. Cloud metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 65)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, St. Cloud-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Minnesota: 48%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What St. Cloud’s housing numbers say
About half of St. Cloud rents
51% of households rent their home, 13,910 in all, against 28% across Minnesota. Renting ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At St. Cloud’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $233K covers neither the typical home here ($256K) nor in any of the seven neighboring towns. The least expensive is Waite Park at $251K. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind St. Cloud’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Cloud is more affordable than 51% of U.S. towns, #119 of 273 in Minnesota. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Minnesota: the typical St. Cloud home is up 21.5% in five years, against 14.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 21.5% in five years
Faster than Minnesota (14.1%).
Show as a table
| January | St. Cloud | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $152,000 | $216,000 |
| 2018 | $160,000 | $231,000 |
| 2019 | $168,000 | $245,000 |
| 2020 | $175,000 | $257,000 |
| 2021 | $189,000 | $280,000 |
| 2022 | $216,000 | $311,000 |
| 2023 | $229,000 | $322,000 |
| 2024 | $236,000 | $329,000 |
| 2025 | $248,000 | $338,000 |
| 2026 | $256,000 | $346,000 |
| September 2026 | $256,000 | $349,000 |
A typical St. Cloud home worth $150K in October 2016 is worth about $256K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.2 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to St. Cloud’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical St. Cloud home, with $34K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,320 a month here, $240 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, St. Cloud’s typical property tax (1.03% 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 $1,320
Renters already here pay a median of $1,003, 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 (St. Cloud, MN MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
208 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 208 new homes in St. Cloud in 2025: 113 single-family houses and 95 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $43.6 million to build. That's 2.9 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Minnesota (3.8). Over the past 10 years, St. Cloud has permitted 1,950 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, St. Cloud gained 3,039 residents while 1,608 new homes were permitted: about 1.9 new residents per new home, about the same as across Minnesota (2.2).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 48 | 48 | 0 | $11.5 million |
| 2025 | 208 | 113 | 95 | $43.6 million |
| 2024 | 288 | 78 | 210 | $46 million |
| 2023 | 237 | 141 | 96 | $42.1 million |
| 2022 | 346 | 97 | 249 | $58.8 million |
| 2021 | 128 | 126 | 2 | $29.3 million |
| 2020 | 141 | 113 | 28 | $29.7 million |
| 2019 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $20.9 million |
| 2018 | 109 | 109 | 0 | $25.1 million |
| 2017 | 112 | 112 | 0 | $25.8 million |
| 2016 | 293 | 49 | 244 | $28.7 million |
| 2015 | 267 | 46 | 221 | $26.3 million |
| 2014 | 217 | 43 | 174 | $21.8 million |
| 2013 | 197 | 43 | 154 | $20.1 million |
| 2012 | 157 | 35 | 122 | $16.1 million |
| 2011 | 126 | 26 | 100 | $12.8 million |
| 2010 | 42 | 42 | 0 | $6.2 million |
| 2009 | 108 | 51 | 57 | $11.3 million |
| 2008 | 95 | 40 | 55 | $10.3 million |
| 2007 | 173 | 110 | 63 | $16.7 million |
| 2006 | 215 | 152 | 63 | $21.5 million |
| 2005 | 270 | 209 | 61 | $28 million |
| 2004 | 279 | 224 | 55 | $29.3 million |
| 2003 | 267 | 222 | 45 | $28.5 million |
| 2002 | 260 | 205 | 55 | $27.1 million |
| 2001 | 225 | 195 | 30 | $24.4 million |
| 2000 | 220 | 185 | 35 | $23.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,320, under the Minnesota median of $3,357, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.03% 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 St. Cloud
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the St. Cloud, MN 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 | 88 | MN 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 95 | MN 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 89 | MN 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 92 | 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.
St. Cloud vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, St. Cloud has the 2nd-lowest. Haven Township and Minden Township and Le Sauk Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud | B− | $256K | $225K | 1.03% | $1,320 |
| Minden Township | C+ | — | $297K | 0.79% | $1,520 |
| Haven Township | B− | — | $347K | 0.79% | $1,520 |
| Waite Park | C+ | $251K | $219K | 1.26% | $1,270 |
| Le Sauk Township | C | — | $296K | 0.95% | $1,370 |
| St. Augusta | B− | $371K | $388K | 0.76% | $1,350 |
| Sauk Rapids | B− | $304K | $256K | 1.08% | $1,520 |
| Sartell | C− | $336K | $297K | 1.18% | $1,390 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in St. Cloud
Is St. Cloud expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, St. Cloud costs less than 51% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #119 of 273 in Minnesota. The typical home costs 2.9 years of the median household income of the St. Cloud, MN metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in St. Cloud?
About $256K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.2% in a year. The Minnesota typical home is $349K.
What salary do you need to live in St. Cloud?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $67,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,560 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in St. Cloud?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,003 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in St. Cloud?
The median bill is $2,320 a year, 1.03% of the median home value (Minnesota: $3,357, 1.02%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in St. Cloud going up?
Yes: up 1.2% in the past year and 21.5% in five years, against 14.1% across Minnesota (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What St. Cloud 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, September 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.