Moving from Las Vegas to Detroit
Moving to Detroit costs you $51 a month
−$612 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Las Vegas leftover
$2,537
a month after tax and rent
Detroit leftover
$2,486
−$51 vs Las Vegas
In 2022-2023, 306 households moved Las Vegas → Detroit (avg AGI $63,333). 350 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Las Vegas | Detroit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,333 | $7,645 | +$312 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,476 | $2,057 | +$581 |
| Take-home pay | $5,858 | $5,589 | −$269 |
| Rent | $1,279 | $1,194 | −$85 |
| Getting around | $592 | $560 | −$32 |
| Groceries | $400 | $372 | −$28 |
| Healthcare | $450 | $419 | −$31 |
| Utilities | $250 | $233 | −$17 |
| Everything else | $350 | $326 | −$24 |
| Left over | $2,537 | $2,486 | −$51 |
To break even in Detroit, you'd need to earn
$92,500
Household gross, versus $88,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Las Vegas does now.
The tax difference alone
−$5,863
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.1% in Las Vegas, 26.9% in Detroit.
More about Detroit
Las Vegas, NV in full
No income tax, low property tax, and an economy tied to tourism.
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.
Detroit → Las Vegas →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Detroit than Las Vegas?
A one-bedroom is about $1,279 in Las Vegas versus $1,194 in Detroit. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $51 a month lower in Detroit. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Detroit have state income tax?
Detroit is in Michigan, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.40%.
What changes if you move from Las Vegas to Detroit?
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.
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.