?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Dearborn, MI vs Lansing, MI

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Dearborn needs about $84,000 in Lansing to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Lansing, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $86,000 in Dearborn.

A few differences

Dearborn vs Lansing · facet by facet
FacetDearborn, MILansing, MI
Median home price$218,800$128,700
2-bedroom rent$1,341/mo$1,068/mo
Property tax rate1.35%1.35%
State & local income tax5.25%5.25%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index8778
Groceries index9595
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$65,324$54,382
Unemployment rate4.1%4.1%
Crime index45/10045/100
School rating5.3/105.3/10
Sunny days / year175 days175 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Dearborn, MI · Lansing, MI
Questions & answers
Is Dearborn cheaper than Lansing?
Lansing has the lower day-to-day cost index (78 vs 87 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Lansing equals $85,000 in Dearborn?
A household earning $85,000 in Dearborn needs about $84,000 in Lansing to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Lansing lifestyle costs about $86,000 in Dearborn.