City comparison
Burnsville, MN is about 70 miles (100 km) from Rochester, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 miles, or about 1 h 15 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 Burnsville, 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 64,075 in Burnsville — about 1.9× larger by population. By land area, Rochester covers about 57 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Burnsville.
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 | Burnsville | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,443/mo | $1,218/mo | 18.5% higher in Burnsville |
| Median home value | $315,700 | $268,800 | 17.4% higher in Burnsville |
| Median household income | $85,801 | $83,973 | 2.2% higher in Burnsville |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 95.5 | 7.3% higher in Burnsville |
| Utilities index | 93.3 | 87.8 | 6.3% higher in Burnsville |
| Transportation index | 103.7 | 92.6 | 12.0% higher in Burnsville |
| Healthcare index | 103.9 | 92.8 | 12.0% higher in Burnsville |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Burnsville, you'd need $82,388 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rochester, MN is about 17.6% cheaper overall than Burnsville, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 40% higher in Burnsville than in Rochester. If you earn $80,000 in Burnsville, you'd need about $65,910 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.