diff --git a/mesonbuild/coredata.py b/mesonbuild/coredata.py
index 20a4ccb3f..3abba6d1f 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/coredata.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/coredata.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ if T.TYPE_CHECKING:
     KeyedOptionDictType = T.Union[T.Dict['OptionKey', 'UserOption[T.Any]'], OptionOverrideProxy]
     CompilerCheckCacheKey = T.Tuple[T.Tuple[str, ...], str, FileOrString, T.Tuple[str, ...], str]
 
+# Check major_versions_differ() if changing versioning scheme.
 version = '0.59.99'
 backendlist = ['ninja', 'vs', 'vs2010', 'vs2012', 'vs2013', 'vs2015', 'vs2017', 'vs2019', 'xcode']
 
@@ -990,7 +991,10 @@ def format_cmd_line_options(options: argparse.Namespace) -> str:
     return ' '.join([shlex.quote(x) for x in cmdline])
 
 def major_versions_differ(v1: str, v2: str) -> bool:
-    return v1.split('.')[0:2] != v2.split('.')[0:2]
+    v1_major, v1_minor = v1.rsplit('.', 1)
+    v2_major, v2_minor = v2.rsplit('.', 1)
+    # Major version differ, or one is development version but not the other.
+    return v1_major != v2_major or ('99' in {v1_minor, v2_minor} and v1_minor != v2_minor)
 
 def load(build_dir: str) -> CoreData:
     filename = os.path.join(build_dir, 'meson-private', 'coredata.dat')
diff --git a/unittests/allplatformstests.py b/unittests/allplatformstests.py
index 524f0d01b..7afa98977 100644
--- a/unittests/allplatformstests.py
+++ b/unittests/allplatformstests.py
@@ -2356,16 +2356,12 @@ class AllPlatformTests(BasePlatformTests):
         self.wipe()
         self.init(testdir, extra_args=['-Dstart_native=true'], override_envvars=env)
 
-    def __reconfigure(self, change_minor=False):
+    def __reconfigure(self):
         # Set an older version to force a reconfigure from scratch
         filename = os.path.join(self.privatedir, 'coredata.dat')
         with open(filename, 'rb') as f:
             obj = pickle.load(f)
-        if change_minor:
-            v = mesonbuild.coredata.version.split('.')
-            obj.version = '.'.join(v[0:2] + [str(int(v[2]) + 1)])
-        else:
-            obj.version = '0.47.0'
+        obj.version = '0.47.0'
         with open(filename, 'wb') as f:
             pickle.dump(obj, f)
 
@@ -2405,25 +2401,7 @@ class AllPlatformTests(BasePlatformTests):
         testdir = os.path.join(self.common_test_dir, '157 custom target subdir depend files')
         self.init(testdir)
         self.__reconfigure()
-
-        with Path(self.builddir):
-            self.init(testdir, extra_args=['--wipe'])
-
-    def test_minor_version_does_not_reconfigure_wipe(self):
-        testdir = os.path.join(self.unit_test_dir, '48 reconfigure')
-        self.init(testdir, extra_args=['-Dopt1=val1'])
-        self.setconf('-Dopt2=val2')
-
-        self.__reconfigure(change_minor=True)
-
-        out = self.init(testdir, extra_args=['--reconfigure', '-Dopt3=val3'])
-        self.assertNotRegex(out, 'Regenerating configuration from scratch')
-        self.assertRegex(out, 'opt1 val1')
-        self.assertRegex(out, 'opt2 val2')
-        self.assertRegex(out, 'opt3 val3')
-        self.assertRegex(out, 'opt4 default4')
-        self.build()
-        self.run_tests()
+        self.init(testdir, extra_args=['--wipe'], workdir=self.builddir)
 
     def test_target_construct_id_from_path(self):
         # This id is stable but not guessable.
diff --git a/unittests/internaltests.py b/unittests/internaltests.py
index 8cebeb8ea..a6f1ca523 100644
--- a/unittests/internaltests.py
+++ b/unittests/internaltests.py
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ import mesonbuild.dependencies.factory
 import mesonbuild.compilers
 import mesonbuild.envconfig
 import mesonbuild.environment
-import mesonbuild.coredata
 import mesonbuild.modules.gnome
+from mesonbuild import coredata
 from mesonbuild.interpreterbase import typed_pos_args, InvalidArguments, ObjectHolder
 from mesonbuild.interpreterbase import typed_pos_args, InvalidArguments, typed_kwargs, ContainerTypeInfo, KwargInfo
 from mesonbuild.mesonlib import (
@@ -1527,3 +1527,17 @@ class InternalTests(unittest.TestCase):
                 self.assertRaises(mesonbuild.mesonlib.MesonBugException):
             i = mesonbuild.interpreter.Interpreter(build, mock=True)
             pickle.dumps(i)
+
+    def test_major_versions_differ(self) -> None:
+        # Return True when going to next major release, when going to dev cycle,
+        # when going to rc cycle or when going out of rc cycle.
+        self.assertTrue(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.59.0', '0.60.0'))
+        self.assertTrue(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.59.0', '0.59.99'))
+        self.assertTrue(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.59.0', '0.60.0.rc1'))
+        self.assertTrue(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.59.99', '0.60.0.rc1'))
+        self.assertTrue(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.60.0.rc1', '0.60.0'))
+        # Return False when going to next point release or when staying in dev/rc cycle.
+        self.assertFalse(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.60.0', '0.60.0'))
+        self.assertFalse(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.60.0', '0.60.1'))
+        self.assertFalse(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.59.99', '0.59.99'))
+        self.assertFalse(coredata.major_versions_differ('0.60.0.rc1', '0.60.0.rc2'))