Myrtle Beach, SC vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Myrtle Beach to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($340,239 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach, SC, you'd need about $104,706 in Detroit, MI (+$4,706).
Livability — Myrtle Beach, SC: 67 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,939 sqft in Myrtle Beach vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($170 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Myrtle Beach, SC | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,712 | $18,000 | −$2,712 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $4,896 | +$99 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $4,575 | +$1,110 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $2,316 | +$468 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,300 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $10,008 | $9,547 | −$461 |
| Total | $42,830 | $40,634 | −$2,196 |
Side by side
| Metric | Myrtle Beach, SC | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.8 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.7% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.34 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $340,239 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.6% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $170 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,726 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.41% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |