City comparison
Lansing, MI vs New Haven, CT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in New Haven, CT are 10.1% higher than in Lansing, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Lansing, MI would need about $110,100 in New Haven, CT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,591 a month in New Haven, CT versus $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in New Haven, CT and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $3,999 a year in MI and $3,925 in CT.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +6.8% moving from Lansing, MI to New Haven, CT ($117,402 → $125,431), while prices change by +10.1%. Net effect of the transfer: −2.9% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- New Haven, CT: price level 104.6 (pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lansing, MI | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 104.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $110,073 in New Haven | $90,849 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $1,591/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $75,255 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $3,925 (CT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $60,060 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and New Haven, CT MSA. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and New Haven, CT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | New Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 124.3 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 97.3 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 144.8 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 102.7 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 104.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → New Haven, CT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −9.2%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$74/yr.
40 Weak offer
New Haven, CT → Lansing, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +10.1%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax +$74/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; New Haven, CT is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to New Haven, CT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | New Haven, CT | Real change, Lansing → New Haven |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $72,737 | −2.9% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $88,005 | −2.9% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $105,481 | −2.9% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $125,431 | −2.9% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $148,222 | −2.9% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | New Haven, CT | New Haven pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $72,930 | $79,820 | $72,516 (−0.6%) |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $133,040 | $120,866 (+24.4%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $94,960 | $86,270 (+8.9%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $104,490 | $94,928 (+12.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.