Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Michigan
Sterling Heights is a supplemental starter city profile for the Detroit-area family and jobs market in Michigan, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Michigan
Traverse City is a premium tourism and lake-region market in Michigan, useful for starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Comparison
Sterling Heights has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Traverse City has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Traverse City minus Sterling Heights.
| Metric | Sterling Heights | Traverse City | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,603 | $1,536 | -$67 | Traverse City | Traverse City has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $309,742 | $348,400 | +$38,658 | Sterling Heights | Sterling Heights has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $195/mo | $194/mo | -$1/mo | Traverse City | Traverse City has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 101 | 100 | -1 | Traverse City | Traverse City has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $52,198 | $70,680 | +$18,482 | Sterling Heights | Sterling Heights has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 85/100 | 74/100 | -11 | Sterling Heights | Sterling Heights has the higher move score. |