Cost of living comparison
compared to
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit Cost of Living Summary
Grand Rapids is 3.9% more expensive than Detroit.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.9% less in Grand Rapids
- Groceries
-
pay 7.2% more in Grand Rapids
- Transportation
-
pay 3.3% more in Grand Rapids
- Housing
-
pay 4.4% more in Grand Rapids
- Childcare
-
pay 0.8% less in Grand Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.3% more in Grand Rapids
- Clothing
-
pay 15.5% more in Grand Rapids
The cost of clothing, groceries, housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Grand Rapids are more expensive than in Detroit. Expenses including restaurants and childcare are lower in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Grand Rapids instead of Detroit, you would:
pay 3.9% less for restaurants
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$18.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.41
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.2% more for groceries
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.38
|
$3.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$7.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$3.46
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$4.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$2.53
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$2.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.66
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 3.3% more for transportation
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.00
|
$47.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$20.70
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 4.4% more for housing
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$72.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,450.00
|
$1,691.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,058.17
|
$1,191.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$192.03
|
$93.79
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 0.8% less for childcare
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$21,000.00
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 1.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$4.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.00
|
$40.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.5% more for clothing
|
Detroit
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.08
|
$58.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$87.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$130.00
|
|
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids - 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
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