Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Dearborn's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Dearborn?
Your $100,000 in Dearborn has the same purchasing power as $101,297 in the average US city. You'd need $1,297 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Dearborn's cost index of 99, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Dearborn, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously housing is the bargain and lower-than-average crime numbers, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Even if other categories track the national average in Dearborn, housing comes in noticeably cheaper. Median rent is about $1,205/mo, and the housing sub-index lands at 95 (US avg = 100). That's where most of the day-to-day affordability difference shows up for newcomers.
Dearborn reports about 2,229 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
The average one-way commute in Dearborn is about 21 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Dearborn's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is just part of the winter in Dearborn. Average temperatures around 22°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Dearborn averages roughly 22°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Dearborn runs about 82°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 7. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 7 or colder should survive a typical winter in Dearborn. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Dearborn is at about 597 feet (182 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Dearborn's reported crime rate of about 2,229 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. Dearborn's cost-of-living index is 99, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — Dearborn is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 22 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $69,104 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Dearborn runs about $1,205/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.