An Overview of Cost of Living in Lakeville, MN
Knowing the cost of living in Lakeville allows individuals to create a realistic budget. This helps them understand how their income will cover expenses and whether they need to make financial adjustments. The cost of living in any region can fluctuate due to various factors. To assess the cost of living consistently across different areas, a national average of 100 serves as the basis for the cost of living index. The cost of living in Lakeville stands at 118, marking it 18% higher than the national average.
Housing costs are a very significant part of the Lakeville cost of living index and generally encompass a large percentage of take-home income. Unfortunately, in this area, the housing costs for both homes and rentals were 69.6% more than the average city. This includes things like home and rent prices, mortgage rates and insurance.
Is Lakeville Affordable?
Is Lakeville an affordable place to live? It's a good question and one that you might want to ask when considering any new city, as affordability can play a huge role in the decision making process. The cost of living index (which we covered above), as well as housing costs and income levels play a vital role in determining the affordability of an area. The median home price in Lakeville is 76.2% higher than the national average, while the average monthly rent prices are 54.3% higher than average. The affordability of any location can also be influenced by median income levels. Lakeville has a median household income of $112,020, which is 102.5% higher than the national average.
What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Lakeville?
Urbanization: Larger, urban centers, known for their wealth of amenities and strong employment prospects, often exhibit an elevated cost of living, primarily attributable to the heightened demand for services and residential relocation. Consequently, this scenario leads to elevated home prices and higher rental rates. In contrast, sparsely populated rural areas or regions characterized by diminished demand typically provide a more limited array of amenities and experience slower job market growth, resulting in a more affordable cost of living.
Groceries: Grocery costs have continued to increase significantly over the last 2-3 years. In some markets the cost of food has gone up by more than 20% in that period. While other markets have managed to see only a moderate uptick. These food costs can have a major impact on the cost of living in any area. In Lakeville, the groceries index is 2.6% lower than the national average.
Utilities: Like everything else, utilities costs can range significantly depending on factors like climate, energy sources available, location and even state regulations. Things like electricity, water, heating and waste disposal costs can be higher or lower, depending on the city or state. The utilities index in Lakeville comes in at 5.2% lower than the national average.
Where is the Data From?
The Lakeville cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. Published on a quarterly basis, it compiles data from more than 300 independent researchers, encompassing over 60 goods and services. These items have been meticulously selected to represent various consumer expenditure categories, in 6 categories. Weightings assigned to cost differentials draw from government survey data tracking spending patterns among professional and executive households. While the C2ER index excludes data on sales or income tax rates, AreaVibes incorporates tax rates into the overall cost of living score for each region.