What is the cost of living in Niles?

Niles has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.4, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 71.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,184/month.

What is the median salary in Niles?

The median salary in Niles is $61,444 annually (mean: $65,354). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons.

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

What are the schools like in Niles?

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 Niles?

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

Is Niles a good place to relocate?

Niles has a Life Score of 51.2/100 (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 Niles sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Niles ranks #234 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

Niles, MI

BEA RPP 92.4 sits mid-pack (#153 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.4
Cost index (US=100): $1,184
2BR rent / mo: $61,444
Median salary: 48.8
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Niles ranks #234 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48.8/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and housing.

#234
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: safety (17/100). 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), Niles ranks #234 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.4 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,184/mo, median salary $61,444; LiveAbility Score 48.8/100, strongest in low hazard and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 92.4 sits mid-pack (#153 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.4 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,184/mo.

LiveAbility 48.8/100 keeps Niles in the middle third (#234 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Niles area is 51,600.

Niles 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 60% higher than 40% 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

Niles housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Niles MSA; housing RPP 71.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,184/mo.

Studio

$816

/month

1 Bedroom

$902

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,184

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,556

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,568

/month

Niles wages and employment

Niles posts 51,600 total employment with median salary $61,444.

Median Salary

$61,444

Mean Salary

$65,354

Total Employment

51,600

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,740
Cashiers	$29,550
Retail Salespersons	$34,170
Waiters and Waitresses	$38,130
Stockers and Order Fillers	$34,750

Schools & Education

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

Infant (Center)

$7,444

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,636

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,221

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Niles's composite Life Score is 51.2/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

61/100

Above average

Wages

48/100

Average

Rent

66/100

Strong

Crime

17/100

Bottom decile

Schools

78/100

Strong

Childcare

80/100

Elite

Environment

12/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Niles ranks #234 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48.8/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (82/100)

Low hazard

82
Housing

66
Air quality

64
Cost of living

61
Job market

48
Schools

22
Climate

20
Safety

17

What this shows Niles's strongest dimensions are low hazard and housing; its weakest among scored dims is safety at 17/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Niles to

Slidell-Mandeville-Covington South Bend-Mishawaka Spartanburg Spokane-Spokane Valley Springfield Springfield

Metros near Niles on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Niles 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

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

Niles runs a $61,444 median salary at a 92.4 cost index, ranking #234 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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