Detroit, MI vs Spokane, WA
Moving from Detroit to Spokane? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $423,842 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Spokane 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 $102,789 in Spokane, WA (+$2,789).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Spokane, WA: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,123 sqft in Spokane ($163 vs $236 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Spokane, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $18,588 | +$588 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $5,246 | +$349 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $4,075 | −$500 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,548 | −$768 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $6,160 | −$3,387 |
| Total | $40,634 | $37,117 | −$3,518 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Spokane, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 100.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 5.75% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.74 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $423,842 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $236 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,549 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 4.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $58 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $167 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 37 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 16.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 45.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 52% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |