Bismarck vs Ann Arbor leftover
Moving to Ann Arbor costs you $1,240 a month
$2,095/mo leftover in Ann Arbor vs $3,335 in Bismarck after tax and rent ($1,240 less). −$14,880 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bismarck leftover
$3,335
a month after tax and rent
Ann Arbor leftover
$2,095
−$1,240 vs Bismarck
Compare Bismarck to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bismarck.
Monthly gap
Bismarck → Ann Arbor
$1,240
less / month in Bismarck
$2,095 in Ann Arbor · $3,335 in Bismarck · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$1,240 / mo
| Per month | Bismarck | Ann Arbor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,917 | $7,114 | −$803 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,700 | $1,764 | +$64 |
| Take-home pay | $6,216 | $5,350 | −$866 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $1,492 | +$408 |
| Getting around | $534 | $394 | −$140 |
| Groceries | $348 | $378 | +$30 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $425 | +$33 |
| Utilities | $218 | $236 | +$18 |
| Everything else | $305 | $330 | +$25 |
| Left over | $3,335 | $2,095 | −$1,240 |
To break even in Ann Arbor, you'd need to earn
$108,000
Household gross, versus $95,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bismarck does now.
The tax difference alone
−$3,621
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.5% in Bismarck, 24.8% in Ann Arbor.
More about Ann Arbor
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Ann Arbor, MI in full
A flat 4.25% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,776 and 173 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Ann Arbor on Ann Arbor wages.
Ann Arbor → Bismarck →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ann Arbor than Bismarck?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Bismarck versus $1,492 in Ann Arbor. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,240 a month lower in Ann Arbor. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ann Arbor have state income tax?
Ann Arbor is in Michigan, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.00%.
What changes if you move from Bismarck to Ann Arbor?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Michigan tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bismarck and Ann Arbor moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.