City comparison
Flint, MI vs Fort Collins, CO
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Fort Collins, CO are 8.7% higher than in Flint, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Flint, MI would need about $108,700 in Fort Collins, CO to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,537 a month in Fort Collins, CO versus $856 in Flint, MI. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Fort Collins, CO and 14% in Flint, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $308 a year higher in Flint, MI than in Fort Collins, CO.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +1.1% moving from Flint, MI to Fort Collins, CO ($117,402 → $118,675), while prices change by +8.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −7.0% in real buying power.
- Flint, MI: price level 93.0 (cheaper)
- Fort Collins, CO: price level 101.1 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Flint, MI | Fort Collins, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 93.0 | 101.1 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $108,700 in Fort Collins | $91,996 in Flint |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $856/mo | $1,537/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $75,488 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $3,692 (CO) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 14% | 24% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $45,880 | $55,310 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | Denver-Aurora, CO |
Rent areas: Flint, MI MSA and Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA. Metro areas: Flint, MI and Fort Collins-Loveland, CO.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Flint | Fort Collins |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 74.0 | 120.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.1 |
| Utilities | 97.1 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 99.8 |
| Overall | 93.0 | 101.1 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Flint, MI → Fort Collins, CO
Same pay buys less
Buying power −8.0%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax −$308/yr.
44 Weak offer
Fort Collins, CO → Flint, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +8.7%; rent takes 14% of take-home; state tax +$308/yr.
96 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Flint, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; Fort Collins, CO is in Denver-Aurora, CO. The last column shows what a transfer from Flint, MI to Fort Collins, CO at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Flint, MI | Fort Collins, CO | Real change, Flint → Fort Collins |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $68,819 | −7.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $83,265 | −7.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $99,800 | −7.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $118,675 | −7.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $140,239 | −7.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Flint, MI | Fort Collins, CO | Fort Collins pay in Flint dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,620 | $62,930 | $57,893 (−11.8%) |
| Software Developers | $101,750 | $133,990 | $123,266 (+21.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $74,500 | $89,340 | $82,189 (+10.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $97,780 | $97,600 | $89,788 (−8.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.