Detroit, MI → Los Angeles, CA
Moving to Los Angeles costs you $798 a month
−$9,576 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Detroit | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,625 | $8,714 | +$1,089 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,049 | $2,364 | +$315 |
| Take-home pay | $5,576 | $6,350 | +$774 |
| Rent | $1,194 | $2,276 | +$1,082 |
| Getting around | $560 | $674 | +$114 |
| Groceries | $372 | $476 | +$104 |
| Healthcare | $419 | $536 | +$117 |
| Utilities | $233 | $298 | +$65 |
| Everything else | $326 | $417 | +$91 |
| Left over | $2,473 | $1,675 | −$798 |
To break even in Los Angeles, you'd need to earn
$120,500
Household gross, versus $91,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Detroit does now.
The tax difference alone
+$95
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.9% in Detroit, 27.1% in Los Angeles.
Detroit, MI in full
Engineering wages against some of the cheapest urban housing in America.
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Los Angeles on Los Angeles wages.
Los Angeles → Detroit →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.