Moving from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor
Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor: $293 less leftover
$2,097/mo leftover in Ann Arbor vs $2,390 in Grand Rapids after tax and rent ($293 less). −$3,516 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Grand Rapids leftover
$2,390
a month after tax and rent
Ann Arbor leftover
$2,097
−$293 vs Grand Rapids
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 228 households moved Grand Rapids → Ann Arbor (about 290 people, average AGI $57,636). 239 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Grand Rapids | Ann Arbor |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,511 | $5,352 |
| Rent | $1,252 | $1,492 |
| All other costs | $1,869 | $1,763 |
| Left over | $2,390 | $2,097 |
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 129 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,650–$3,100
- Container or pod
- $1,100–$2,100
- Rent a truck
- $400–$750
Other moves from Grand Rapids
Dig into Ann Arbor
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ann Arbor than Grand Rapids?
A one-bedroom is about $1,252 in Grand Rapids versus $1,492 in Ann Arbor. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $293 a month lower in Ann Arbor. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ann Arbor have state income tax?
Ann Arbor is in Michigan, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.00%.
Did people actually move from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Grand Rapids → Ann Arbor move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.