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 | San Diego | Sterling Heights | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,080/mo | $1,215/mo | 71.2% higher in A |
| Median home value | $783,300 | $243,400 | 221.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $98,657 | $75,381 | 30.9% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 110.2 | 102.8 | 7.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 135.0 | 89.3 | 51.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 117.2 | 93.0 | 26.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 121.0 | 93.7 | 29.1% 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 San Diego, you'd need $69,339 in Sterling Heights to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sterling Heights, MI is about 30.7% cheaper overall than San Diego, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 42% lower in Sterling Heights than in San Diego. If you earn $80,000 in San Diego, you'd need about $55,471 in Sterling Heights to keep the same standard of living.