Moving to Minneapolis Suburbs vs the City (Full Breakdown)
About this video
Should you live in Minneapolis or the suburbs? The answer depends on your lifestyle, budget, commute, and long-term goals.
In this video, we compare Minneapolis with popular suburbs like Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Lakeville, and Woodbury, covering home prices, commute times, outdoor recreation, new construction, resale value, and what daily life is really like in each area.
Key takeaways
- City or suburbs? By sticker price, Minneapolis looks cheaper (median in the high $300,000s versus about $400,000 in Maple Grove, the high $400,000s in Plymouth and the mid-$500,000s in Eden Prairie), but city homes tend to be older, on smaller lots and in need of updates.
- A nice 1,800-square-foot downtown condo can cost about $6,000 a month all-in, which could instead cover a four-bedroom suburban home with a yard and a three-car garage, according to Jason. Effective property tax rates also differ: about 1.17% in Eden Prairie and Chanhassen versus about 0.99% in Dakota County.
- Character is the city's edge: homes from about 1880 to 1930 with original woodwork. Only a few areas, like Uptown, Lyn-Lake and the North Loop, are truly walkable; most residents drive either way.
- Commutes: the Twin Cities average about 24 minutes, among the shortest of major metros. Eden Prairie runs about 25 to 40 minutes to downtown, Maple Grove 30 to 45, and Lakeville 40 to 45 (up to an hour on a bad day). Many employers are now in the suburbs, and the Green Line Extension to Eden Prairie is expected in 2027.
- Outdoors: the city's Chain of Lakes is hard to beat, but suburbs offer more total space: Eden Prairie's 1,000-plus acres of parks and 225 miles of trails, Plymouth's new 315-acre Northwest Greenway, Maple Grove's Elm Creek Park Reserve and Lake Minnetonka.
- New construction is under 2% of Minneapolis sales but more than half in Rogers, Dayton and Corcoran and about a quarter in Lakeville. For resale, suburban homes draw a wider buyer pool, while downtown condos are the softest segment, some taking over 100 days to sell.
Questions this video answers
Is it cheaper to live in Minneapolis or the suburbs?
The city's median price is lower, but you typically get an older home on a smaller lot. For the monthly cost of a nice downtown condo, you can often buy a much larger suburban home, according to Jason.
How long is the commute from the suburbs to downtown Minneapolis?
About 25 to 40 minutes from Eden Prairie, 30 to 45 from Maple Grove and 40 to 45 from Lakeville in normal traffic, according to the video. The Twin Cities average commute is about 24 minutes.
Where can I buy new construction near Minneapolis?
Mostly in the suburbs. New construction is under 2% of Minneapolis sales, but more than half of sales in Rogers, Dayton and Corcoran and about a quarter in Lakeville.
Read more: Commute times to downtown Minneapolis · Maple Grove vs. Plymouth · Newest homes · Linden Hills
Notes written by Huerkamp Home Group from this video. Figures are as stated in the video on August 4, 2026; check the current numbers in our market reports.
