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 | Phoenix | Sterling Heights | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322/mo | $1,215/mo | 8.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $340,200 | $243,400 | 39.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $72,092 | $75,381 | 4.4% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 103.1 | 102.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 123.5 | 89.3 | 38.3% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 102.5 | 93.0 | 10.3% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 101.2 | 93.7 | 8.0% 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 Phoenix, you'd need $90,924 in Sterling Heights to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sterling Heights, MI is about 9.1% cheaper overall than Phoenix, AZ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% lower in Sterling Heights than in Phoenix. If you earn $80,000 in Phoenix, you'd need about $72,739 in Sterling Heights to keep the same standard of living.