Moving to North Carolina from Michigan
What to Expect
Considering a move from Michigan to North Carolina? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Michigan to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 14.6% more expensive than Michigan. A $75,000 salary in Michigan would need to be roughly $83,616 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Michigan and North Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $83,616
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Groceries
pay 19.8% more
Transportation
pay 14.6% more
Housing
pay 13.2% more
Childcare
pay 24.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.0% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in North Carolina compared to Michigan.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Michigan generally does better on safety, though North Carolina leads in violent crime rate.
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
Michigan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Michigan performs better than North Carolina across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Michigan performs better than North Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
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
North Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though Michigan leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
North Carolina performs significantly better than Michigan across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Lansing | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/21°F (2°/-6°C) | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/57°F (26°/14°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 47°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lansing | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.8°/-8.3°C) | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) |
| Feb | 34°/19°F (0.9°/-7.4°C) | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) |
| Mar | 44°/27°F (6.7°/-2.8°C) | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 58°/38°F (14.2°/3.3°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.5°/8.9°C) | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.2°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 81°/60°F (27.0°/15.5°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 74°/51°F (23.1°/10.8°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) |
| Oct | 60°/41°F (15.8°/5.1°C) | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 47°/33°F (8.6°/0.5°C) | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 35°/22°F (1.6°/-5.3°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than Michigan?
On average North Carolina is around 11% pricier than Michigan, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
Budget about $20,904 for 3 months in North Carolina (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is North Carolina safe?
Michigan generally does better on safety, though North Carolina leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to Michigan?
Michigan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to Michigan?
The average high temperature in Asheville is 67°F, compared to 58°F in Lansing. Asheville receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Lansing gets 32.2 in.
