Moving to Texas from Michigan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Michigan to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Michigan to Texas, you would find that Texas is 8.7% more expensive than Michigan. A $75,000 salary in Michigan would need to be roughly $77,754 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Austin averages 79°F vs 58°F in Lansing, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Michigan to Texas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,754
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 7.9% more
Groceries
pay 0.6% more
Transportation
pay 8.0% more
Housing
pay 12.8% more
Childcare
pay 7.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.9% 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
How Michigan and Texas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Michigan generally does better on safety, though Texas 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 Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Michigan performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Michigan generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.
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
Texas performs significantly 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
Michigan generally does better on family life, though Texas leads in life expectancy.
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 | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/21°F (2°/-6°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/57°F (26°/14°C) | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 47°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lansing | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.8°/-8.3°C) | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) |
| Feb | 34°/19°F (0.9°/-7.4°C) | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) |
| Mar | 44°/27°F (6.7°/-2.8°C) | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 58°/38°F (14.2°/3.3°C) | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.5°/8.9°C) | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.2°C) | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 81°/60°F (27.0°/15.5°C) | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) |
| Sep | 74°/51°F (23.1°/10.8°C) | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) |
| Oct | 60°/41°F (15.8°/5.1°C) | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) |
| Nov | 47°/33°F (8.6°/0.5°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) |
| Dec | 35°/22°F (1.6°/-5.3°C) | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Michigan?
Day-to-day costs in Texas run about 4% higher than Michigan on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,438 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Texas safe?
Michigan generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Michigan?
Michigan generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Michigan?
The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 58°F in Lansing. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Lansing gets 32.2 in.
