Cost of living comparison
compared to
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids Cost of Living Summary
Detroit is 2.4% more expensive than Grand Rapids.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.9% more in Detroit
- Groceries
-
pay 4.0% less in Detroit
- Transportation
-
pay 4.1% more in Detroit
- Housing
-
pay 12.8% more in Detroit
- Childcare
-
pay 8.1% more in Detroit
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.1% less in Detroit
- Clothing
-
pay 9.8% less in Detroit
The cost of housing, childcare, restaurants, and transportation in Detroit are more expensive than in Grand Rapids. Expenses including clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Detroit.
Detroit vs. Grand Rapids Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Detroit instead of Grand Rapids, you would:
pay 5.9% more for restaurants
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.49
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
|
$2.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
|
$1.82
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.0% less for groceries
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.13
|
$3.38
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.68
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.46
|
$3.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.33
|
$5.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.08
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.53
|
$2.65
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$2.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.66
|
$1.13
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of groceries
pay 4.1% more for transportation
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$3.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$47.00
|
$66.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,000.00
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.70
|
$13.68
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of transportation
pay 12.8% more for housing
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.67
|
$52.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,691.67
|
$1,450.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,191.67
|
$1,058.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$93.79
|
$192.03
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of housing
pay 8.1% more for childcare
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$950.00
|
$1,294.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,000.00
|
$16,800.00
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of childcare
pay 0.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.88
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.83
|
$43.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.50
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.8% less for clothing
|
Grand Rapids
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.91
|
$59.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.50
|
$31.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.02
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.00
|
$109.00
|
|
Grand Rapids vs. Detroit - 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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