2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Lake Forest, IL vs Ann Arbor, MI

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ann Arbor or is it cheaper to live in Lake Forest?
- Ann Arbor is 8.8% more expensive than Lake Forest.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ann Arbor or Lake Forest?
- Ann Arbor housing costs are 49.8% less expensive than Lake Forest housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Lake Forest or is Health Care more affordable in Ann Arbor.
- Health related expenses are 16.0% less in Ann Arbor.
 Lake Forest, ILAnn Arbor, MIUnited States
 Overall  Unlock105.5100
 Food & Groceries108.2  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock80.9100
 Housing285.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$455,500$338,100
 Utilities94  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock100.1100
 Miscellaneous141.0  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Lake Forest    4 Reviews

We relocated cross county to Lake Forest about a year ago due to a job change. We looked at nearby communities, within proximity of the work commute (the office is in  More

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Be prepared for a so called upscale town with entitled, overpaid, snooty people from teenagers who sneer at you to adults who look you up and down, who make demands on a  More

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Over 15 years ago

Long cold winters, short cold springs, hot humid summers, nice  More

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Reviews for Ann Arbor    49 Reviews

Over 8 years ago

Highly educated city. traffic and parking is bad. university culture is nice, not sure about elsewhere. no good pizza! if you're looking for food, I recommend "a taste  More

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Uh, compared to my other favorite college towns this one lacks flavor. Safer and kinda pretty, but not the greenest place, it's fine. Good restaurants, music, art,  More

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Over 10 years ago

Ann Arbor bus service (AATA) is quite good. The Detroit Metro Airport is only a 20 min. drive away and is also quite good. The traffic in Ann Arbor is usually mild  More

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