Detroit, MI vs Portland, ME
Moving from Detroit to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Portland 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 $106,281 in Portland, ME (+$6,281).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($163 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $27,840 | +$9,840 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,917 | +$20 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $2,775 | −$1,800 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $3,072 | +$756 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,000 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $12,997 | +$3,450 |
| Total | $40,634 | $52,601 | +$11,966 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |