?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Mankato, MN vs Prior Lake, MN

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Mankato needs about $94,500 in Prior Lake to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Prior Lake, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $75,500 in Mankato.

A few differences

Mankato vs Prior Lake · facet by facet
FacetMankato, MNPrior Lake, MN
Median home price$261,700$450,700
2-bedroom rent$1,219/mo$1,535/mo
Property tax rate1.05%1.05%
State & local income tax3.68%3.68%
Sales tax7.5%7.5%
Cost of living index90105
Groceries index100100
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$66,873$134,255
Unemployment rate2.9%2.9%
Crime index40/10040/100
School rating7.0/107.0/10
Sunny days / year195 days195 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Mankato, MN · Prior Lake, MN
Questions & answers
Is Mankato cheaper than Prior Lake?
Mankato has the lower day-to-day cost index (90 vs 105 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Prior Lake equals $85,000 in Mankato?
A household earning $85,000 in Mankato needs about $94,500 in Prior Lake to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Prior Lake lifestyle costs about $75,500 in Mankato.