What is the cost of living in Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 100.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 125.3, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,656/month.

What is the median salary in Ann Arbor?

The median salary in Ann Arbor is $73,158 annually (mean: $77,700). Top occupations include Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, Registered Nurses, Office Clerks, General.

How safe is Ann Arbor?

The violent crime rate in the Ann Arbor area is 431 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1395 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Ann Arbor?

The state of MI has 3,399 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.5:1. Charter schools make up 10.9% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Ann Arbor?

Infant center-based childcare in the Ann Arbor area averages $7,444 per year. Preschool averages $7,221/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Ann Arbor a good place to relocate?

Ann Arbor has a Life Score of 44.5/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Ann Arbor sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Ann Arbor ranks #316 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Ann Arbor, MI

BEA RPP 100.9 ranks #316 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

100.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,656
2BR rent / mo: $73,158
Median salary: 40.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Ann Arbor ranks #316 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (40.9/100), with its strongest marks in job market and low hazard.

#316
of 387 US metros · Below median: 10,140,459
metro-area population: 431
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,399
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (13/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Ann Arbor ranks #316 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 100.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,656/mo, median salary $73,158; LiveAbility Score 40.9/100, strongest in job market and low hazard.

Signature: BEA RPP 100.9 ranks #316 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 100.9 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,656/mo.

LiveAbility 40.9/100 puts Ann Arbor in the bottom third (#316 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Ann Arbor area is 207,930.

Ann Arbor vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

41 Top 82% higher than 18% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Ann Arbor housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Ann Arbor MSA; housing RPP 125.3 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,656/mo.

Studio

$1,365

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,387

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,656

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,986

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,193

/month

Ann Arbor wages and employment

Ann Arbor posts 207,930 total employment with median salary $73,158 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$73,158

Mean Salary

$77,700

Total Employment

207,930

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary	$38,990
Registered Nurses	$103,450
Office Clerks, General	$38,350
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$33,220
Retail Salespersons	$35,040

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Ann Arbor area from NCES.

Schools

3,399

Enrollment

1,376,868

Student:Teacher

17.5:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Ann Arbor area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,444

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,636

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,221

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Ann Arbor's composite Life Score is 44.5/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

18/100

Bottom decile

Wages

89/100

Elite

Rent

23/100

Weak

Crime

20/100

Weak

Schools

74/100

Strong

Childcare

83/100

Elite

Environment

9/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Ann Arbor ranks #316 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 40.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (89/100)

Job market

89
Low hazard

85
Air quality

59
Schools

26
Housing

23
Safety

21
Cost of living

18
Climate

13

What this shows Ann Arbor's strongest dimensions are job market and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 13/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Ann Arbor to

Gulfport-Biloxi Hagerstown-Martinsburg Hammond Hanford-Corcoran Harrisburg-Carlisle Harrisonburg

Metros near Ann Arbor on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Ann Arbor on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Ann Arbor cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Ann Arbor wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor runs a $73,158 median salary at a 100.9 cost index, ranking #316 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Ann Arbor's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Ann Arbor head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Ann Arbor
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.