Moving from Wausau to Detroit
Moving to Detroit costs you $482 a month
−$5,784 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Wausau leftover
$2,980
a month after tax and rent
Detroit leftover
$2,498
−$482 vs Wausau
| Per month | Wausau | Detroit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $7,664 | +$164 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,831 | $2,063 | +$233 |
| Take-home pay | $5,669 | $5,601 | −$68 |
| Rent | $778 | $1,194 | +$416 |
| Getting around | $542 | $560 | +$18 |
| Groceries | $378 | $372 | −$6 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $419 | −$6 |
| Utilities | $236 | $233 | −$3 |
| Everything else | $330 | $326 | −$4 |
| Left over | $2,980 | $2,498 | −$482 |
To break even in Detroit, you'd need to earn
$101,000
Household gross, versus $90,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Wausau does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,206
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.4% in Wausau, 26.9% in Detroit.
More about Detroit
Wausau, WI in full
State income tax topping out at 7.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $926 and 190 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
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 → Wausau →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Detroit than Wausau?
A one-bedroom is about $778 in Wausau versus $1,194 in Detroit. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $482 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 Wausau 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.