Colorado Springs, CO vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Colorado Springs to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($457,300 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs, CO, you'd need about $100,075 in Detroit, MI (+$75).
Livability — Colorado Springs, CO: 60 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($241 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Colorado Springs, CO | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,204 | $18,000 | −$3,204 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $4,896 | +$82 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $4,575 | +$525 |
| Utilities | $1,788 | $2,316 | +$528 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $1,300 | −$1,500 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $9,547 | +$808 |
| Total | $43,395 | $40,634 | −$2,761 |
Side by side
| Metric | Colorado Springs, CO | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.60% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.1% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $457,300 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $241 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,767 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.7% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.41% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |