Wayne County · Michigan · Midwest · 639k residents
Detroit, MI: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Detroit: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Michigan median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
The median home value in Detroit is $85,000, 61% below the Michigan median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,300/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 88 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $37,000 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findingsLimited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A resilient Great Lakes city whose music, design, and industrial history still shape its future.
Known for: Motown, automotive design, architecture, soul food, and a strong maker culture.
Calendar note: The Detroit Jazz Festival and Movement Electronic Music Festival are major anchors.
Story source: Visit Detroit
- Scale: A large city with a quarter-million or more residents in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Detroit about 8 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 185 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 55 and an average commute of 26 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Detroit side by side
Cost of living index
88
Median home value
$85,000
2-bedroom rent
$1,300/mo
Median household income
$37,000
Housing momentum
How fast Detroit's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
26/100
Cooling
Ranks Detroit's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Detroit's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| Median home value | $85,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $65 |
| Property tax rate | 2.1% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,100/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,300/mo |
| State & local income tax | 6.65% |
| Sales tax | 6% |
| Cost of living index | 88 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $185/mo |
| Transit pass | $70/mo |
| Gas price | $3.25/gal |
| Healthcare index | 96 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,100/mo |
| Median household income | $37,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% |
| Population | 639k |
| Crime index | 70/100 |
| School rating | 4.0/10 |
| Walkability | 55/100 |
| Disaster risk | 99/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 185 days |
| July high | 84°F |
| January low | 20°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -4.8% |
| Home price MoM | -0.7% |
| Rent YoY | +2.4% |
| Rent MoM | +0.4% |
| Ocean coast | 488 mi |
| Big lake | 8 mi |
| Mountains | 313 mi |
| Major airport | 18 mi |
| Ski resort | 210 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Hamtramck, MI · 28k
- Dearborn, MI · 107k
- Ferndale, MI · 19k
- Harper Woods, MI · 15k
- Lincoln Park, MI · 39k
Similar size
- Grand Rapids, MI · 199k
- Warren, MI · 138k
- Sterling Heights, MI · 134k
- Ann Arbor, MI · 122k
- Lansing, MI · 113k
Real listings in Detroit
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Detroit, MI?
- Detroit indexes at 88 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,300/mo and a median home value of $85,000.
- How much does a house cost in Detroit?
- The median home value in Detroit is $85,000, 61% below the Michigan median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Detroit?
- A two-bedroom in Detroit rents for about $1,300/mo.