?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Royal Oak, MI vs St. Clair Shores, 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 Royal Oak needs about $80,500 in St. Clair Shores to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from St. Clair Shores, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Royal Oak.

A few differences

Royal Oak vs St. Clair Shores · facet by facet
FacetRoyal Oak, MISt. Clair Shores, MI
Median home price$328,700$210,700
2-bedroom rent$1,463/mo$1,202/mo
Property tax rate1.35%1.35%
State & local income tax5.25%5.25%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index9484
Groceries index9595
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$101,109$73,500
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: Royal Oak, MI · St. Clair Shores, MI
Questions & answers
Is Royal Oak cheaper than St. Clair Shores?
St. Clair Shores has the lower day-to-day cost index (84 vs 94 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in St. Clair Shores equals $85,000 in Royal Oak?
A household earning $85,000 in Royal Oak needs about $80,500 in St. Clair Shores to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of St. Clair Shores lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Royal Oak.