Detroit, MI vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Detroit to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Lancaster 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 Detroit, MI, you'd need about $98,541 in Lancaster, PA (−$1,459).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($163 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $18,312 | +$312 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,915 | +$19 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,440 | −$1,135 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,316 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $9,202 | −$345 |
| Total | $40,634 | $39,385 | −$1,249 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $222 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |