Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ann Arbor vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Ann Arbor is 2.7% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.5% less in Ann Arbor
- Groceries
-
pay 10.3% less in Ann Arbor
- Transportation
-
pay 11.6% less in Ann Arbor
- Housing
-
pay 4.8% less in Ann Arbor
- Childcare
-
pay 12.8% more in Ann Arbor
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.9% more in Ann Arbor
- Clothing
-
pay 4.2% less in Ann Arbor
The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Ann Arbor are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including transportation, groceries, housing, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ann Arbor instead of United States, you would:
pay 1.5% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$16.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.00
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.30
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.04
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.40
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$4.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.58
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.32
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.37
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of groceries
pay 11.6% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$15.43
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of transportation
pay 4.8% less for housing
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$70.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,829.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,344.44
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$110.66
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of housing
pay 12.8% more for childcare
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,933.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$20,000.00
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of childcare
pay 0.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.84
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$56.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.00
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.2% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Ann Arbor
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$51.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$37.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$91.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$101.00
|
|
United States vs. Ann Arbor - 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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