Freeborn County · Minnesota · Midwest · 18k residents
Albert Lea, MN: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Albert Lea: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Minnesota median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Albert Lea is $157,500, 56% below the Minnesota median. A two-bedroom rents for about $896/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 80 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $64,603 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Albert Lea is $157,500, 55.7% below the median for ACS-covered places in Minnesota.
- Household income: Median household income is $64,603, 30.5% below the median for ACS-covered places in Minnesota.
- Adult education: 17.4% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 56.9% below the median for ACS-covered places in Minnesota.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 2.4 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places Albert Lea about 88 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 195 sunny days and 40 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 24 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Albert Lea side by side
Cost of living index
80
ACS median home value
$157,500
2-bedroom rent
$896/mo
Median household income
$64,603
Housing momentum
How fast Albert Lea's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
82/100
Heating
Ranks Albert Lea's home-price growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Albert Lea's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $157,500 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $200 |
| Property tax rate | 1.05% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $680/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $896/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.68% |
| Sales tax | 7.5% |
| Cost of living index | 80 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $85/mo |
| Gas price | $3.15/gal |
| Healthcare index | 102 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,350/mo |
| Median household income | $64,603 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% |
| Population | 18k |
| Crime index | 40/100 |
| School rating | 7.0/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 51/100 |
| Avg. commute | 24 min |
| Sunny days / year | 195 days |
| July high | 82°F |
| January low | 6°F |
| Annual snowfall | 40 in |
| Home price YoY | +5.7% |
| Home price MoM | -0.2% |
| Rent YoY | — |
| Rent MoM | — |
| Ocean coast | 948 mi |
| Big lake | 88 mi |
| Mountains | 443 mi |
| Major airport | 85 mi |
| Ski resort | 203 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Austin, MN · 26k
- Owatonna, MN · 26k
- Faribault, MN · 25k
- Mankato, MN · 45k
- Rochester, MN · 122k
Similar size
- Anoka, MN · 18k
- Hopkins, MN · 19k
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- Sartell, MN · 20k
- Red Wing, MN · 17k
Real listings in Albert Lea
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Albert Lea, MN?
- Albert Lea indexes at 80 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $896/mo and a acs median home value of $157,500.
- How much does a house cost in Albert Lea?
- The acs median home value in Albert Lea is $157,500, 56% below the Minnesota median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Albert Lea?
- A two-bedroom in Albert Lea rents for about $896/mo.