Moving to Washington from Michigan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Michigan to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Michigan to Washington, you would find that Washington is 23.2% more expensive than Michigan. A $75,000 salary in Michigan would need to be roughly $90,186 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Michigan to Washington. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $90,186 To maintain the same standard of living in Washington The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 15.1% more Groceries pay 16.9% more Transportation pay 21.3% more Housing pay 25.6% more Childcare pay 43.9% more Entertainment and Sports pay 27.7% 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. How Michigan and Washington stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Michigan generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate. share of people without health insurance share of adults with obesity share of adults with diabetes share of adults who smoke Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Michigan performs better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Michigan generally does better on infrastructure, though Washington leads in internet access. 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 Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Michigan leads in unemployment rate. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree Washington 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) Monthly averages — select a city to compare. Avg. annual high / low Avg. annual high / low Data: Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 20% higher than Michigan on average; specific cities can swing further. A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,546 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Michigan generally does better on safety, though Washington leads in violent crime rate. Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Michigan leads in uninsured rate. The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 58°F in Lansing. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Lansing gets 32.2 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Lansing Olympia Jan–Mar 36°/21°F (2°/-6°C) 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) Apr–Jun 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) Jul–Sep 79°/57°F (26°/14°C) 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) Oct–Dec 47°/32°F (9°/0°C) 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) View all months
Month Lansing Olympia Jan 31°/17°F (-0.8°/-8.3°C) 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) Feb 34°/19°F (0.9°/-7.4°C) 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) Mar 44°/27°F (6.7°/-2.8°C) 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) Apr 58°/38°F (14.2°/3.3°C) 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) May 69°/48°F (20.5°/8.9°C) 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) Jun 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) Jul 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.2°C) 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) Aug 81°/60°F (27.0°/15.5°C) 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) Sep 74°/51°F (23.1°/10.8°C) 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) Oct 60°/41°F (15.8°/5.1°C) 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) Nov 47°/33°F (8.6°/0.5°C) 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) Dec 35°/22°F (1.6°/-5.3°C) 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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