Cost of living in Detroit, MI
The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578 people) ranks #58 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Detroit with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Detroit to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Ann Arbor, MI, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Detroit: $92,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $92,700 in Detroit, MI to match $90,000 in Ann Arbor, MI ($2,700 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Michigan, so state income tax is the same; includes Detroit resident tax $2,146 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Detroit
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Detroit
On a $75,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $56,870 after 2026 federal tax ($7,670), Social Security and Medicare ($5,738) and Michigan income tax ($2,937), and $1,786 in Detroit resident income tax.
Detroit residents pay a 2.4% city income tax on all income, after a $600 exemption per person. If you live outside Detroit but work in the city, you still pay the 1.2% nonresident rate on those wages. Most suburbs have no city income tax; Hamtramck, Highland Park and Pontiac are exceptions.
Housing
| Measure | Detroit area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,248/mo |
| Median home value | $271,600 |
| Median property tax | $3,489/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,826 |
| Median household income | $76,403 |
Climate and jobs in Detroit
In the Detroit area the average January low is 19°F and the average July high 84°F, and the area has about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 5.0% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $52,080 a year, 2% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 19°F |
| July high | 84°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 13 a year |
| Precipitation | 34 in a year |
| Snowfall | 45 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $52,080 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 1.9 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Detroit Metro Airport station (USW00094847). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Detroit
A single retiree spends about $3,232 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,883 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Detroit
- Detroit to Ann Arbor
- Detroit to Chicago
- Detroit to Grand Rapids
- Detroit to New York
- Ann Arbor to Detroit
- Chicago to Detroit
- Grand Rapids to Detroit
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Detroit area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 95.7 of 100), with expected losses of about $265 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Michigan.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Detroit?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $82,700 in Detroit. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $49,920, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $78,258.
Is Detroit expensive?
The Detroit metro area's price level is 100.3 (U.S. = 100), #58 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 94.7, 5% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Detroit?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Detroit had a net loss of about 5,586 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Detroit?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Detroit area (Detroit Metro Airport weather station), the average January low is 19°F and the average July high 84°F. The area has about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 34 inches of precipitation a year and about 45 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Detroit?
The Detroit metro area's unemployment rate averaged 5.0% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $52,080 a year in May 2025, 2% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Detroit?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 95.7). The highest relative risks are tornado, strong wind, cold wave.
Compare Detroit with other cities
Moving from Detroit to…
Moving to Detroit from…
Cities with similar prices
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Moving from Michigan