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 | Chicago | Sterling Heights | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,215/mo | 8.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $243,400 | 25.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $75,381 | 4.9% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 102.8 | 5.4% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 89.3 | 3.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 93.0 | 6.1% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 93.7 | 3.9% higher 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 Chicago, you'd need $95,742 in Sterling Heights to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sterling Heights, MI is about 4.3% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% lower in Sterling Heights than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $76,594 in Sterling Heights to keep the same standard of living.