City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Austin | Sterling Heights | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,215/mo | 27.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $243,400 | 89.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $75,381 | 14.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 95.2 | 98.1 | 2.9% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 85.9 | 102.4 | 16.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.5 | 100.9 | 3.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 95.8 | 101.5 | 5.7% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $92,751 in Sterling Heights to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sterling Heights, MI is about 7.2% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 21% lower in Sterling Heights than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $74,201 in Sterling Heights to keep the same standard of living.