USLivingCost Salaries · Rent · Cost of Living

Arlington, VA vs. Detroit, MI

Median rent is $2,275 a month in Arlington, VA and $1,034 in Detroit, MI. Household income is $140,160 against $39,575. Both cities are read from the same ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates and the same BEA Regional Price Parities 2023, so the two columns below are directly comparable.

$
Same standard of living
A salary of $100,000 in Arlington, VA buys what $97,278 buys in Detroit, MI
-$2,722 less to keep the same standard of living
Median gross rent Monthly
$2,275 $1,034 -54.5%
Median household income Annual
$140,160 $39,575 -71.8%
Median home value Owner-occupied
$864,800 $76,800 -91.1%
Rent as share of income Annual rent ÷ income
19.5% 31.4% 11.9 pp
Price level U.S. average = 100
100.7 98.0 -2.7%
Salary needed for median rent Keeps rent at 30% of gross
$91,000 $41,400 -54.5%
Rent median income carries at 30% Affordable rent
$3,504 $989 -71.8%
Population City proper
235,463 636,644 +170.4%
Equivalent salary For $100,000 in Arlington
$100,000 $97,278 -2.7%

A green or red badge means the second city is higher or lower, not better or worse: a lower rent is good for a tenant, a lower household income is not. For the price level and
the share of income the raw values are shown, because a percentage difference between two
percentages is easy to misread.

What the gap means

Lower rent
$1,034
Detroit, MI · 120.0% below Arlington, VA
Higher household income
$140,160
Arlington, VA · 254.2% above Detroit, MI
Same standard of living
$97,278
$100,000 in Arlington, VA needs $97,278 in Detroit, MI
Price level gap
2.7 points
100.7 in VA against 98.0 in MI
Rent burden gap
11.9 points
Detroit, MI versus Arlington, VA, share of income taken by rent
Highest buying power
102.0%
Detroit, MI · share of the national average income that a dollar there buys

Occupation wages in both metros

May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Metropolitan areas may differ from city boundaries.

Occupation Arlington, VA median Detroit, MI median vs.
General and Operations Managers $156,460 $104,010 -33.5%
Retail Salespersons $36,610 $35,130 -4.0%
Fast Food and Counter Workers $34,600 $29,590 -14.5%
Software Developers $154,930 $130,760 -15.6%
Registered Nurses $102,710 $97,280 -5.3%
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $37,840 $36,680 -3.1%
Waiters and Waitresses $46,040 $37,490 -18.6%
Customer Service Representatives $46,220 $44,730 -3.2%

Metropolitan areas and cover every industry together, so the two columns may describe wider areas than the city limits used for rent and income.

More comparisons with Arlington, VA

More comparisons with Detroit, MI

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Definitions used on this page

Salary needed for the median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent divided by 0.30: the income that keeps the median rent at 30% of gross pay.
Price level
BEA regional price parity for the metro area where one is published, otherwise for the state. The national average is 100.
Same standard of living
A salary in Arlington, VA converted into Detroit, MI at the ratio of the two price levels. It adjusts for prices only, not for taxes or for what either city offers.
Buying power
One hundred divided by the price level: what a dollar buys locally relative to the national average.

Sources

Margins of error are published for every Census figure. Read the methodology before reading a small gap between two cities as a real difference.

Full detail for each city: Arlington, VA · Detroit, MI