2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Detroit, MI vs Ottumwa, IA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ottumwa or is it cheaper to live in Detroit?
- Ottumwa is 22.5% less expensive than Detroit.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ottumwa or Detroit?
- Ottumwa housing costs are 5.5% more expensive than Detroit housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Detroit or is Health Care more affordable in Ottumwa.
- Health related expenses are 45.8% more in Ottumwa.
 Detroit, MIOttumwa, IAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock71.1100
 Food & Groceries89.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock119.3100
 Housing23.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$97,700$338,100
 Utilities90  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock62.8100
 Miscellaneous114.0  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Detroit    116 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

Have lived in the area for over a year (suburb of Grosse Pointe), but I work in downtown Detroit. I'm amazed at how cool this city is. So much to do and see, tat we  More

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Spent some time in the city but lived in multiple suburban areas in the metro area. I lived in Farmington Hills, Novi, Birmingham, and Rochester. Really, all were great.  More

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Cold, unfriendly, envious people within the city limits. The unfriendliness can turn into aggression and sometimes even bullying. Crabs in a barrel reside here and the  More

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Reviews for Ottumwa    5 Reviews

Over 12 years ago

Ottumwa has a seemingly high rate of theft-related crimes as well as drug use which I'm sure correlates to the incidences of assault. For a community of 20-30,000, the  More

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Over 16 years ago

ottumwa, Iowa has no diverse culture. It is not very open especially when it comes to branching out to new ideas of others culture...The idea of culture here is the pro  More

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Over 17 years ago

Pros: 1. Extremely low cost of living and housing 2. Affordable place to live Cons: 1. High crime rate 2. Very poor school system 3. Economically depressed 4.  More

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