What is the cost of living in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 100.3, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 94.7, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,411/month.

What is the median salary in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

The median salary in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn is $71,303 annually (mean: $74,783). Top occupations include Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.

How safe is Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

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

What are the schools like in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

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

Is Detroit-Warren-Dearborn a good place to relocate?

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn has a Life Score of 44.9/100 (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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn ranks #346 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

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

LiveAbility 36.7/100 places Detroit-Warren-Dearborn #346 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

100.3
Cost index (US=100): $1,411
2BR rent / mo: $71,303
Median salary: 36.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn ranks #346 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (36.7/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and job market.

#346
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: air quality (8/100). 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), Detroit-Warren-Dearborn ranks #346 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 100.3 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,411/mo, median salary $71,303; LiveAbility Score 36.7/100, strongest in low hazard and job market.

Signature: LiveAbility 36.7/100 places Detroit-Warren-Dearborn #346 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 100.3 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,411/mo.

LiveAbility 36.7/100 puts Detroit-Warren-Dearborn in the bottom third (#346 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area is 1,883,860.

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn 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)

37 Top 90% higher than 10% 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

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA; housing RPP 94.7 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,411/mo.

Studio

$1,009

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,122

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,411

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,724

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,868

/month

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn wages and employment

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn posts 1,883,860 total employment with median salary $71,303 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$71,303

Mean Salary

$74,783

Total Employment

1,883,860

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$49,240
Retail Salespersons	$35,130
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$35,120
Registered Nurses	$97,280
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$29,590

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,444

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,636

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,221

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn's composite Life Score is 44.9/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

21/100

Weak

Wages

77/100

Strong

Rent

37/100

Below average

Crime

20/100

Weak

Schools

75/100

Strong

Childcare

82/100

Elite

Environment

10/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn ranks #346 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 36.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (84/100)

Low hazard

84
Job market

78
Housing

37
Schools

25
Cost of living

21
Safety

20
Climate

16
Air quality

8

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

Compare Detroit-Warren-Dearborn to

Great Falls Greeley Green Bay Greensboro-High Point Greenville-Anderson-Greer Greenville

Metros near Detroit-Warren-Dearborn on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Detroit-Warren-Dearborn 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

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Detroit-Warren-Dearborn 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn runs a $71,303 median salary at a 100.3 cost index, ranking #346 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Detroit-Warren-Dearborn's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Detroit-Warren-Dearborn head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
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.