Moving to Michigan from Colorado
What to Expect
Considering a move from Colorado to Michigan? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Colorado to Michigan, you would find that Michigan is 18.1% cheaper than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $61,400 in Michigan to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Colorado and Michigan.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Michigan
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 8.6% less
Groceries
pay 4.0% less
Transportation
pay 4.8% less
Housing
pay 33.7% less
Childcare
pay 12.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Michigan cost about 14% less than cities in Colorado.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Michigan compared to Colorado.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Michigan performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Michigan performs significantly better than Colorado across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Colorado generally does better on infrastructure, though Michigan leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Colorado performs better than Michigan across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Colorado performs better than Michigan across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Denver | Lansing |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) | 36°/21°F (2°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) | 79°/57°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) | 47°/32°F (9°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Denver | Lansing |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) | 31°/17°F (-0.8°/-8.3°C) |
| Feb | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) | 34°/19°F (0.9°/-7.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) | 44°/27°F (6.7°/-2.8°C) |
| Apr | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) | 58°/38°F (14.2°/3.3°C) |
| May | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) | 69°/48°F (20.5°/8.9°C) |
| Jun | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) |
| Jul | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) | 81°/60°F (27.0°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) | 74°/51°F (23.1°/10.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) | 60°/41°F (15.8°/5.1°C) |
| Nov | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) | 47°/33°F (8.6°/0.5°C) |
| Dec | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) | 35°/22°F (1.6°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Michigan than Colorado?
On average Michigan is about 18% less expensive than Colorado, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Michigan?
Budget about $15,350 for 3 months in Michigan (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Michigan safe?
Michigan performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Michigan compared to Colorado?
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Michigan compared to Colorado?
The average high temperature in Lansing is 58°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Lansing receives around 32.2 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in.
