Allentown, PA vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Allentown to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($363,989 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Allentown 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 Allentown, PA, you'd need about $99,299 in Detroit, MI (−$701).
Livability — Allentown, PA: 63 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,404 sqft in Allentown vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($208 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Allentown, PA | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,284 | $18,000 | −$4,284 |
| Groceries | $4,911 | $4,896 | −$15 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $4,575 | +$1,135 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,316 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,300 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $10,058 | $9,547 | −$511 |
| Total | $44,209 | $40,634 | −$3,575 |
Side by side
| Metric | Allentown, PA | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.9 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.48% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.63 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $363,989 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,857 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.85% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |