Lubbock, TX vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Lubbock to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($213,766 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Lubbock vs Detroit 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 Lubbock, TX, you'd need about $107,910 in Detroit, MI (+$7,910).
Livability — Lubbock, TX: 74 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,912 sqft in Lubbock vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($102 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lubbock, TX | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,040 | $18,000 | +$960 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,896 | +$250 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $4,575 | +$900 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $2,316 | +$480 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $5,790 | $9,547 | +$3,757 |
| Total | $36,588 | $40,634 | +$4,047 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lubbock, TX | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.0 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.18 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $213,766 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.7% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,420 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.62% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 17 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $74 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 16 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 18.0 | 34.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 6.7 | 45.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 74% | 53% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |