City comparison
Lansing, MI vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Salt Lake City, UT are 6.2% higher than in Lansing, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Lansing, MI would need about $106,200 in Salt Lake City, UT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,456 a month in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 23% of take-home pay in Salt Lake City, UT and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $465 a year higher in Lansing, MI than in Salt Lake City, UT.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −9.3% moving from Lansing, MI to Salt Lake City, UT ($117,402 → $106,437), while prices change by +6.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −14.6% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lansing, MI | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $106,187 in Salt Lake City | $94,174 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → Salt Lake City, UT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −5.8%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax −$465/yr.
51 Fair offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Lansing, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +6.2%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax +$465/yr.
88 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Lansing → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $61,722 | −14.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $74,678 | −14.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $89,508 | −14.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $106,437 | −14.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $125,776 | −14.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $72,930 | $77,920 | $73,380 (+0.6%) |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $129,600 | $122,049 (+25.7%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $82,100 | $77,317 (−2.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $85,890 | $80,886 (−4.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.