Phoenix, AZ vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Phoenix to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $93,801 in Detroit, MI (−$6,199).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($242 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $18,000 | −$2,904 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,896 | −$23 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $4,575 | +$615 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $2,316 | +$648 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $9,547 | +$2,267 |
| Total | $40,531 | $40,634 | +$103 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $74 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 16 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 34.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 45.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 53% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |