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Baton Rouge, LA vs Detroit, MI

Moving from Baton Rouge to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($248,176 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.

Baton Rouge vs Detroit at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Baton Rouge, LA Detroit, MI Cost-of-living index Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Detroit, MI — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Median home price Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Detroit, MI — Median home price: $269k $269k Price per sqft Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Detroit, MI — Price per sqft: $163 $163 Median rent Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Detroit, MI — Median rent: $1,500 $1,500 Combined sales tax Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Detroit, MI — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Property tax rate Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Detroit, MI — Property tax rate: 1.43% 1.43% Violent crime /100k Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Detroit, MI — Violent crime /100k: 460 460 Electricity ¢/kWh Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Detroit, MI — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.4 21.4 Avg commute (min) Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Detroit, MI — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Detroit, MI — Avg summer high °F: 83° 83° Avg winter low °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43° Detroit, MI — Avg winter low °F: 16° 16°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baton Rouge, LA, you'd need about $107,622 in Detroit, MI (+$7,622).

Livability — Baton Rouge, LA: 69 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($124 vs $163 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBaton Rouge, LADetroit, MIDifference
Housing $16,716 $18,000 +$1,284
Groceries $4,650 $4,896 +$246
Transportation $4,475 $4,575 +$100
Utilities $1,560 $2,316 +$756
Insurance $3,500 $1,300 −$2,200
Taxes $8,854 $9,547 +$693
Total $39,755 $40,634 +$879

Side by side

MetricBaton Rouge, LADetroit, MI
Cost-of-living index91.298.2
Unemployment rate6.51%6.60%
Population growth (5-yr)5.0%1.7%
Air quality (median AQI)5355
Big Mac price (est.)$5.19$5.59
Median home price$248,176$269,080
Home price ÷ income3.7×3.7×
1-yr home appreciation1.5%2.8%
Price per square foot$124$163
Median rent$1,393$1,500
Total tax burden (% income)9.1%10.0%
Combined sales tax9.56%6.00%
Capital gains tax4.25%4.25%
Property tax rate0.56%1.43%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,500
Childcare (annual, infant)$8,000$11,000
Vehicle property tax0.10%0.61%
Avg commute (min)2727
Home insurance / yr$3,500$1,300
Auto insurance / yr$2,900$2,700
Flood insurance / yr$1,000$600
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh14.421.4
Gas $/gal2.953.35
Violent crime /100k630460
Avg summer high °F9283
Avg winter low °F4316
Permit difficulty (1–5)23
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