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 | Detroit | Lansing | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $989/mo | $954/mo | 3.7% higher in A |
| Median home value | $66,700 | $112,200 | 40.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $37,761 | $50,747 | 25.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 100.9 | 99.1 | 1.8% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 70.6 | 85.0 | 17.0% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 103.5 | 86.4 | 19.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 111.1 | 85.0 | 30.8% 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 Detroit, you'd need $92,698 in Lansing to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Lansing, MI is about 7.3% cheaper overall than Detroit, MI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% lower in Lansing than in Detroit. If you earn $80,000 in Detroit, you'd need about $74,158 in Lansing to keep the same standard of living.