2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Palo Alto, CA vs Detroit, MI

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Detroit or is it cheaper to live in Palo Alto?
- Detroit is 60.3% less expensive than Palo Alto.

Which city has more affordable housing, Detroit or Palo Alto?
- Detroit housing costs are 97.9% less expensive than Palo Alto housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Palo Alto or is Health Care more affordable in Detroit.
- Health related expenses are 24.0% less in Detroit.
 Palo Alto, CADetroit, MIUnited States
 Overall  Unlock91.8100
 Food & Groceries124.4  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock81.8100
 Housing1,139.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$71,600$338,100
 Utilities90  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock178.3100
 Miscellaneous156.2  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Palo Alto    8 Reviews

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

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Over 17 years ago

Very  More

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Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

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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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