Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler → Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to Detroit-Warren-Dearborn is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.3 to 100.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $428/mo.
- -$2,240
- BLS median salary lower in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
- 429 to 431
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.2:1 to 16.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,857
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 3% lower cost of living
- + $428/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $2K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 103.3 to 100.3 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $428/mo ($5,136/yr) from $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to $1,411 in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn sits #346 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is #357/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,240 lower ($73,543 → $71,303). Labor-market size: 2,342,930 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,883,860 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Arizona 53 (D, #37/51) vs Michigan 49 (F, #42/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 82
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 22
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 59
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 16
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to see what you'd need to earn in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn to maintain the same purchasing power.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026