Uprootmap

Denver, CODetroit, MI

Moving to Detroit costs you $156 a month

−$1,872 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Denver, CO and Detroit, MI
Per monthDenverDetroitDifference
Gross pay$8,250$7,627−$623
Income and payroll tax$2,057$2,050−$7
Take-home pay$6,193$5,577−$616
Rent$1,490$1,194−$296
Getting around$551$560+$9
Groceries$420$372−$48
Healthcare$473$419−$54
Utilities$263$233−$30
Everything else$368$326−$42
Left over$2,630$2,474−$156

To break even in Detroit, you'd need to earn

$94,500

Household gross, versus $99,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Denver does now.

The tax difference alone

−$2,135

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Denver, 26.9% in Detroit.

Denver, CO in full

Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.

Detroit, MI in full

Engineering wages against some of the cheapest urban housing in America.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Detroit on Detroit wages.

DetroitDenver

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.