City comparison
Bloomington, MN is about 70 miles (100 km) from Rochester, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Bloomington, MN to Rochester, MN takes about 8 min, covering roughly 70 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Rochester has a population of 120,848, vs 89,244 in Bloomington — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Rochester covers about 57 sq mi vs 35 sq mi for Bloomington.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Bloomington | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,426/mo | $1,218/mo | 17.1% higher in Bloomington |
| Median home value | $327,100 | $268,800 | 21.7% higher in Bloomington |
| Median household income | $87,381 | $83,973 | 4.1% higher in Bloomington |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 95.5 | 7.3% higher in Bloomington |
| Utilities index | 93.3 | 87.8 | 6.3% higher in Bloomington |
| Transportation index | 103.7 | 92.6 | 12.0% higher in Bloomington |
| Healthcare index | 103.9 | 92.8 | 12.0% higher in Bloomington |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Bloomington, you'd need $82,434 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rochester, MN is about 17.6% cheaper overall than Bloomington, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 40% higher in Bloomington than in Rochester. If you earn $80,000 in Bloomington, you'd need about $65,948 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.