Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Michigan
Grand Rapids is the West Michigan jobs and family market in Michigan, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Michigan
Kalamazoo is the college and healthcare market in Michigan, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Kalamazoo has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Kalamazoo has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Kalamazoo minus Grand Rapids.
| Metric | Grand Rapids | Kalamazoo | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,200 | $1,056 | -$144 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $260,000 | $223,600 | -$36,400 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $182/mo | $188/mo | +$6/mo | Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 97 | 99 | +2 | Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $57,000 | $51,300 | -$5,700 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 79/100 | 83/100 | +4 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo has the higher move score. |