Lansing, MI vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Lansing to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($250,377 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Lansing vs Phoenix 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 Lansing, MI, you'd need about $112,523 in Phoenix, AZ (+$12,523).
Livability — Lansing, MI: 67 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,296 sqft in Lansing vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($152 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lansing, MI | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $20,904 | +$5,724 |
| Groceries | $4,703 | $4,919 | +$216 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,960 | −$615 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,668 | −$648 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,800 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $9,258 | $7,280 | −$1,978 |
| Total | $37,332 | $40,531 | +$3,199 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lansing, MI | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.0 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.43% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.29 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $250,377 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $152 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.58% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $54 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 41 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 7.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 85% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |