Detroit, MI vs Manchester, NH
Moving from Detroit to Manchester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $526,340 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Manchester 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 $107,572 in Manchester, NH (+$7,572).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Manchester, NH: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 1,710 sqft in Manchester ($163 vs $292 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Manchester, NH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $25,632 | +$7,632 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,935 | +$39 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $2,955 | −$1,620 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,940 | +$624 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,000 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $6,681 | −$2,866 |
| Total | $40,634 | $44,143 | +$3,509 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Manchester, NH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 105.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 3.69% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 4.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $6.01 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $526,340 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $292 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $2,136 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 1.80% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 27.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 120 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 81 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |