City comparison
Plymouth, MN is about 80 miles (125 km) from Rochester, MN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 h 45 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 Plymouth, MN to Rochester, MN takes about 10 min, covering roughly 80 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 79,918 in Plymouth — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Rochester covers about 57 sq mi vs 33 sq mi for Plymouth.
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 | Plymouth | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,625/mo | $1,218/mo | 33.4% higher in Plymouth |
| Median home value | $447,600 | $268,800 | 66.5% higher in Plymouth |
| Median household income | $130,131 | $83,973 | 55.0% higher in Plymouth |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 95.5 | 7.3% higher in Plymouth |
| Utilities index | 93.3 | 87.8 | 6.3% higher in Plymouth |
| Transportation index | 103.7 | 92.6 | 12.0% higher in Plymouth |
| Healthcare index | 103.9 | 92.8 | 12.0% higher in Plymouth |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Plymouth, you'd need $81,971 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rochester, MN is about 18% cheaper overall than Plymouth, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 41% higher in Plymouth than in Rochester. If you earn $80,000 in Plymouth, you'd need about $65,577 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.