

Detroit vs Toledo
$89/mo less in Toledo
DetroitToledoAbout 85 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Toledo costs you more
- Property tax 1.61%
- Rent under 30% of pay
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,393/mo in Toledo. $2,482/mo in Detroit. −$1,068 a year.
Detroit
$2,482
left each month
Toledo
$2,393
−$89 vs Detroit
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 557 households moved Detroit → Toledo (avg AGI $47,718). 503 went the other way. The whole move →
−$89 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Detroit | Toledo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,625 | $6,886 | −$739 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,049 | $1,610 | −$439 |
| Take-home pay | $5,576 | $5,276 | −$300 |
| Rent | $1,185 | $953 | −$232 |
| Getting around | $560 | $571 | +$11 |
| Groceries | $372 | $375 | +$3 |
| Healthcare | $419 | $422 | +$3 |
| Utilities | $233 | $234 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $326 | $328 | +$2 |
| Left over | $2,482 | $2,393 | −$89 |
Salary to match Detroit
$84,500
Gross pay in Toledo that leaves the same amount as $91,500 in Detroit.
Tax difference
+$2,638
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.9% in Detroit, 23.4% in Toledo.
More about Toledo
Detroit, MI in full
Engineering wages against some of the cheapest urban housing in America.
Toledo, OH in full
State income tax topping out at 3.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,135 and 178 sunny days; commutes average 21 minutes.
The other way
Start in Toledo.
Toledo → Detroit →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Toledo than Detroit?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Toledo leaves about $89 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,185 in Detroit and $953 in Toledo.
Does Toledo have state income tax?
Toledo is in Ohio, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.00%.
What changes if you move from Detroit to Toledo?
The paycheck is taxed in Ohio. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Detroit and Toledo changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.