Question 1

Is Bakersfield or Saint Paul cheaper to live in?

Accepted Answer

Saint Paul, MN is cheaper. Estimated essentials for a single person run about $295/month less than in Bakersfield, covering rent plus everyday costs. Typical rent is $1,483/mo in Bakersfield versus $1,248/mo in Saint Paul.

Question 2

What salary do you need in Bakersfield vs Saint Paul?

Accepted Answer

Living comfortably takes roughly $77,000/year before tax in Bakersfield, CA and $71,000/year in Saint Paul, MN — a difference of about $6,000. Both figures are after state and local income taxes are accounted for.

Question 3

Is Bakersfield or Saint Paul cheaper for a family?

Accepted Answer

Bakersfield — which reverses the single-person answer. Two adults with a pre-schooler and a school-age child run about $10,022/month in Bakersfield and $10,204/month in Saint Paul, including county-median childcare. Rent scales to household size using each city's own bedroom spread, and childcare varies even more sharply between cities, so the cheaper city can differ by household.

Question 4

Should I move to Bakersfield or Saint Paul?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what you weight. Saint Paul costs less month to month, but cost is one of six factors — jobs, safety, climate, housing and amenities all differ too. Compare them against your own income and priorities rather than a single ranking.

Metric	Bakersfield63	Saint Paul61
Est. monthly cost (single)	$4,129	$3,834
Est. monthly cost (family of 4, incl. childcare)	$10,022	$10,204
Salary for comfort	$77,000/yr	$71,000/yr
Typical rent	$1,483	$1,248
Median home value	$347,300	$280,300
Median household income	$77,397	$73,055
Unemployment	6.2%	4.4%
Housing score	65	77
Jobs score	33	37
Safety score	54	48
Climate score	90	61
Amenities score	47	47
Population	408.4K	307.8K
Summer high / winter low	97° / 39°	83° / 9°

Bakersfield, CA vs Saint Paul, MN