The cost of living in North Dakota is 3.2% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in North Dakota is $86,873 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a North Dakota household is $65,315.
The average home price in North Dakota is $199,900, which is lower than the US average home price of $229,800. Median rent in North Dakota is $828/mo which is lower than the US average rent of $1,096/mo. If you want to adjust homes prices to local incomes, the ratio of home prices to median household income is about 3.1 to 1. That means it takes roughly 3.1 years of a full salary to pay off a house. That compares to the national average of 3.5 to 1.
All in all, North Dakota has a low cost of living compared to America as a whole.
No, North Dakota is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #27 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in North Dakota ranks 30th most dangerous in the United States -- 11.03% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Peace Garden State ranks 2most dangerous in the United States -- 8.68% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Yes, Fargo is a dangerous city. Fargo ranks as the #54 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Fargo might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Fargo ranks 114th highest in America -- 11.38% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 46th highest in the United States -- 51.98% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is "dangerous". Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
The county in North Dakota with the lowest cost of living is McIntosh County. The average living wage in McIntosh County is $81,422 according to MIT data. McIntosh County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to North Dakota as a whole. Childcare costs $13,020 a year in McIntosh County for two children compared to the North Dakota average of $16,381. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,808 per year in McIntosh County compared to $10,230 on average in North Dakota.
The cheapest housing market in North Dakota is Ellendale. The average home value in Ellendale is $72,100, the lowest in the state. The average home value in North Dakota is $199,900, almost 2.8 times higher than Ellendale.