Bloomington vs. Woodbury: Which Twin Cities Suburb Fits You?

People who treat Bloomington and Woodbury as the same choice can end up in the wrong place. Both are big, established suburbs, but they’re on opposite sides of the metro and feel very different day to day. Here’s how they compare.

Details are as of my video above (August 2026).

Location and commute

Picture a 5 a.m. flight. From Bloomington, the airport is practically in your backyard, sometimes 10 minutes away. From Woodbury, it’s roughly 25 to 30 minutes. If you travel often or head south for the winter, that’s hard to beat. The Blue Line also runs from the airport to the Mall of America (about 12 minutes) and downtown Minneapolis (about 25).

• Bloomington sits about 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, along I-494 with quick access to 35W. Downtown Minneapolis is about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Woodbury sits about 8 miles east of downtown Saint Paul, right off I-94. Downtown Saint Paul is about 15 to 20 minutes.

“Both are 30 minutes from downtown” is a little misleading. Which downtown you go to most matters.

Home prices

The old idea that Woodbury is far pricier than the rest of the metro is a bit dated, but it does cost more than Bloomington:

• Woodbury: median in the mid-$400,000s, with single-family homes in the low $500,000s. Plenty of townhomes bring the median down.
• Bloomington: most homes land in the high $300,000s.

The same budget buys different things. In Woodbury, it’s usually a newer, larger home in a planned neighborhood. In Bloomington, it’s an older home in a central location, with room to make it your own. Compare the same type of home in each city, not just medians. See Twin Cities home prices by budget.

New construction vs. established homes

In Woodbury, you might smell fresh lumber from a house going up down the block. Builders are still adding homes along the eastern and southern edges, with open floor plans, big primary suites and three-car garages.

Bloomington is mostly built out. Most of its homes were built in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, so new construction usually means a teardown. Older doesn’t mean worse: you get character and mature trees that take 50 years to grow. Just check the age of the big items: roof, furnace, water heater, windows, sewer line and siding. Budgeting for a few of those in the first years is part of buying an established home. More in new construction vs. existing homes.

Property taxes

Bloomington is in Hennepin County, and Woodbury is in Washington County. Each county and city sets its own rates, so one isn’t cheaper across the board. On similar-priced homes, the bills can be closer than you’d expect. But Woodbury homes tend to cost more, and some newer neighborhoods carry special assessments for roads and utilities. Pull the actual tax statement from the county before you sign a purchase agreement; don’t rely on an estimate.

Shopping and daily life

• Bloomington is a shopping destination, home to the Mall of America with 500+ stores and tens of millions of visitors a year, plus miles of shopping along I-494. It’s great for a day out, but it can get packed on weekends and holidays. More in living in Bloomington.
• Woodbury has Woodbury Lakes, CityPlace and Tamarack Village, with groceries, pharmacies, retail and dinner along the same corridors. It’s more spread out, but quick stops are easy.

Neither has a true walkable old main street. Both were built around driving.

Parks and trails

Both have real nature inside city limits, with deer, woods and open space.

• Bloomington borders the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge along the river. (You may hear that a third of Bloomington is parkland; that includes federal and regional land, which you can still use.) On the west side, Hyland Lake Park Reserve (Three Rivers) has hiking, a nature center and a ski hill.
• Woodbury has more trails at your front door: over 180 miles of connected paths, plus Carver Lake, Colby Lake and Powers Lake.

Growth

Bloomington has leveled off around 88,000 people, stable or slightly down, so it feels settled. Woodbury is one of the faster-growing cities in the state, with more than 80,000 people, up roughly 10% since 2020, and more development coming. That means new stores and energy, but also construction nearby for a while.

How to choose

Lean Bloomington if you want a central location, quick airport access, big shopping and established neighborhoods, and if you spend a lot of time in Minneapolis or would use the Blue Line.

Lean Woodbury if you want a newer home, lots of trails, easy Saint Paul access, more space for the money and less work on the house.

Both are good options. Compare Bloomington and Woodbury side by side with our compare tool, or tell our team your budget and timing.