Living in Cottage Grove, MN
Suburb in Minnesota
Cottage Grove is a suburb in Minnesota, home to about 40,000 people, with 2.7 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses with yards.
Is Cottage Grove a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 13 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Family-friendly: playgrounds, family attractions and plenty of households with kids
- Safe: violent crime is 0.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Dog-friendly: 10 dog parks within 9 mi
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $2,443 state income tax per resident, 1.07% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Cottage Grove ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Cottage Grove: common questions
What is the cost of living in Cottage Grove?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $360k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,260 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 105, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Cottage Grove?
Minnesota collects about $2,443 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.07% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Cottage Grove safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Cottage Grove?
Cottage Grove has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 28°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 41″ of snow a year.
Does Cottage Grove get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, tornadoes and cold waves: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.87 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Cottage Grove?
The nearest major airport is MSP, about 16 mi away.
How Cottage Grove scores
Each bar compares Cottage Grove with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Cottage Grove right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.