What is the cost of living in Monroe?

Monroe has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 74.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,326/month.

What is the median salary in Monroe?

The median salary in Monroe is $63,524 annually (mean: $66,987). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.

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

What are the schools like in Monroe?

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 Monroe?

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

Is Monroe a good place to relocate?

Monroe has a Life Score of 49.5/100 (D), 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 Monroe sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Monroe ranks #226 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

Monroe, MI

LiveAbility 49.3/100 places Monroe #226 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,326
2BR rent / mo: $63,524
Median salary: 49.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Monroe ranks #226 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (49.3/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and low hazard.

#226
of 387 US metros · Near median: 10,140,459
metro-area population: 431
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,399
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (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), Monroe ranks #226 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,326/mo, median salary $63,524; LiveAbility Score 49.3/100, strongest in air quality and low hazard.

Signature: LiveAbility 49.3/100 places Monroe #226 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.5 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,326/mo.

LiveAbility 49.3/100 keeps Monroe in the middle third (#226 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Monroe area is 35,090.

Monroe 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)

49 Top 58% higher than 42% 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

Monroe housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Monroe MSA; housing RPP 74.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,326/mo.

Studio

$914

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,011

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,326

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,605

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,147

/month

Monroe wages and employment

Monroe posts 35,090 total employment with median salary $63,524.

Median Salary

$63,524

Mean Salary

$66,987

Total Employment

35,090

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,950
Retail Salespersons	$34,620
Cashiers	$29,320
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$36,870
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$54,510

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Monroe 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 Monroe area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,444

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,636

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,221

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Monroe's composite Life Score is 49.5/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

51/100

Average

Wages

62/100

Above average

Rent

48/100

Average

Crime

18/100

Bottom decile

Schools

78/100

Strong

Childcare

80/100

Elite

Environment

11/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Monroe ranks #226 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 49.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (100/100)

Air quality

100
Low hazard

82
Job market

62
Cost of living

51
Housing

48
Schools

22
Safety

18
Climate

8

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

Compare Monroe to

Columbia Columbus Columbus Columbus Corpus Christi Corvallis

Metros near Monroe on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Monroe 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

Monroe cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Monroe 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 Monroe?

Monroe runs a $63,524 median salary at a 93.5 cost index, ranking #226 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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