Cost of living in Owatonna, Minnesota

Owatonna, Minnesota has about 26,498 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $245,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Steele County is $1,244 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Owatonna. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Minnesota's prices sit at 98.6 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Minnesota taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 8.1% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Owatonna's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Minnesota home paid 17.45¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Owatonna's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Minnesota was $4.257 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,043.36 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Minnesota shares this price.

Among 338 places we list in Minnesota with a rent figure, 160 have higher typical rent than Owatonna.