Moving to Utah from Michigan
What to Expect
Considering a move from Michigan to Utah? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Michigan to Utah, you would find that Utah is 2.8% more expensive than Michigan. A $75,000 salary in Michigan would need to be roughly $77,100 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Michigan and Utah.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Utah
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 6.0% less
Groceries
pay 10.4% less
Transportation
pay 13.6% more
Housing
pay 10.3% more
Childcare
pay 10.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.8% 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.
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 Utah cost about 3% less than cities in Michigan.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Utah 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 Utah 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
Utah 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 better than Utah across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah performs significantly better than Michigan 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
Utah 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 Utah leads in life expectancy.
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 | Lansing | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/21°F (2°/-6°C) | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/57°F (26°/14°C) | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 47°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lansing | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.8°/-8.3°C) | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) |
| Feb | 34°/19°F (0.9°/-7.4°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) |
| Mar | 44°/27°F (6.7°/-2.8°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 58°/38°F (14.2°/3.3°C) | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.5°/8.9°C) | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.2°C) | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) |
| Aug | 81°/60°F (27.0°/15.5°C) | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) |
| Sep | 74°/51°F (23.1°/10.8°C) | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 60°/41°F (15.8°/5.1°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) |
| Nov | 47°/33°F (8.6°/0.5°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 35°/22°F (1.6°/-5.3°C) | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Utah than Michigan?
On average Utah is around 3% pricier than Michigan, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Utah?
Budget about $19,275 for 3 months in Utah (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Utah safe?
Michigan generally does better on safety, though Utah leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Utah compared to Michigan?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Utah compared to Michigan?
The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 58°F in Lansing. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Lansing gets 32.2 in.
