Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Detroit Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 46.4% more expensive than Detroit.
- Restaurants
-
pay 30.5% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 30.8% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 14.5% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 45.9% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 52.7% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 28.6% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, restaurants, and clothing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Detroit. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Detroit Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Detroit, you would:
pay 30.5% more for restaurants
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.79
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.8% more for groceries
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.38
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.64
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 14.5% more for transportation
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.00
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$16.73
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 45.9% more for housing
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,450.00
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,058.17
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$192.03
|
$146.54
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 52.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.00
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$16.75
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 28.6% more for clothing
|
Detroit
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.08
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$133.22
|
|
Detroit vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or Detroit. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.