Cost of living in Grand Rapids, MI
The Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area (1,178,826 people) ranks #99 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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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 Grand Rapids with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Grand Rapids to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Detroit, 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 Grand Rapids: $69,800
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $69,800 in Grand Rapids, MI to match $75,000 in Detroit, MI ($5,200 less), 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 $1,786 and Grand Rapids resident tax $1,116 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Grand Rapids
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Grand Rapids
On an $80,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $60,770 after 2026 federal tax ($8,770), Social Security and Medicare ($6,120) and Michigan income tax ($3,149), and $1,191 in Grand Rapids resident income tax.
Grand Rapids residents pay a 1.5% city income tax, after a $600 exemption per person. If you live outside Grand Rapids but work in the city, you still pay the 0.75% nonresident rate on those wages. Most suburbs have no city income tax; Walker is an exception.
Housing
| Measure | Grand Rapids area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,289/mo |
| Median home value | $316,600 |
| Median property tax | $3,180/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,039 |
| Median household income | $81,541 |
Climate and jobs in Grand Rapids
In the Grand Rapids area the average January low is 19°F and the average July high 83°F, and the area has about 10 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $47,570 a year, 7% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 19°F |
| July high | 83°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 10 a year |
| Precipitation | 39 in a year |
| Snowfall | 78 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $47,570 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 598,260 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Grand Rapids station (USW00094860). 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 Grand Rapids
A single retiree spends about $3,094 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,821 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 Grand Rapids
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Grand Rapids area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 83.1 of 100), with expected losses of about $236 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 Grand Rapids?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $77,000 in Grand Rapids. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $51,560, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $87,368.
Is Grand Rapids expensive?
The Grand Rapids metro area's price level is 95.5 (U.S. = 100), #99 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 86.6, 13% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Grand Rapids?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Grand Rapids had a net gain of about 37 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Grand Rapids?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Grand Rapids area (Grand Rapids weather station), the average January low is 19°F and the average July high 83°F. The area has about 10 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 39 inches of precipitation a year and about 78 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Grand Rapids?
The Grand Rapids metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.4% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $47,570 a year in May 2025, 7% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Grand Rapids?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 83.1). The highest relative risks are strong wind, tornado, riverine flooding.
Compare Grand Rapids with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Moving from Michigan