Is Rochester Hills cheaper than Sterling Heights?

Sterling Heights has the lower day-to-day cost index (90 vs 102 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.

What household income in Sterling Heights equals $85,000 in Rochester Hills?

A household earning $85,000 in Rochester Hills needs about $80,500 in Sterling Heights to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Sterling Heights lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Rochester Hills.

City data & comparisons

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Rochester Hills, MI vs Sterling Heights, 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.

Personalize this comparison

A household earning $85,000 in Rochester Hills needs about $80,500 in Sterling Heights to keep the same lifestyle.

Coming from Sterling Heights, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Rochester Hills.

A few differences

Rochester Hills is higher on median household income ($120,694 vs $79,909).
Sterling Heights is lower on cost of living index (90 vs 102).
Sterling Heights is lower on 2-bedroom rent ($1,376/mo vs $1,685/mo).

Rochester Hills vs Sterling Heights · facet by facet

Facet	Rochester Hills, MI	Sterling Heights, MI
Median home price	$409,800	$274,300
2-bedroom rent	$1,685/mo	$1,376/mo
Property tax rate	1.35%	1.35%
State & local income tax	5.25%	5.25%
Sales tax	6%	6%
Cost of living index	102	90
Groceries index	95	95
Utilities	$175/mo	$175/mo
Median household income	$120,694	$79,909
Unemployment rate	4.1%	4.1%
Crime index	45/100	45/100
School rating	5.3/10	5.3/10
Sunny days / year	175 days	175 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: Rochester Hills, MI · Sterling Heights, MI

Questions & answers

Is Rochester Hills cheaper than Sterling Heights?: Sterling Heights has the lower day-to-day cost index (90 vs 102 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Sterling Heights equals $85,000 in Rochester Hills?: A household earning $85,000 in Rochester Hills needs about $80,500 in Sterling Heights to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Sterling Heights lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Rochester Hills.