Akron, OH vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Akron to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($241,251 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Akron vs Detroit at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Akron, OH, you'd need about $105,664 in Detroit, MI (+$5,664).
Livability — Akron, OH: 71 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,420 sqft in Akron vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($146 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Akron, OH | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,120 | $18,000 | +$2,880 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,896 | +$190 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $4,575 | +$1,550 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,316 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,898 | $9,547 | +$649 |
| Total | $35,149 | $40,634 | +$5,485 |
Side by side
| Metric | Akron, OH | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.9 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.33% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.4% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.29 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $241,251 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.3% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $146 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,260 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.54% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |