2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
St. Joseph, MI vs East Lansing, MI

Change Cities
Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in East Lansing or is it cheaper to live in St. Joseph?
- East Lansing is 5.1% less expensive than St. Joseph.

Which city has more affordable housing, East Lansing or St. Joseph?
- East Lansing housing costs are 3.4% less expensive than St. Joseph housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in St. Joseph or is Health Care more affordable in East Lansing.
- Health related expenses are 4.6% less in East Lansing.
 St. Joseph, MIEast Lansing, MIUnited States
 Overall  Unlock83.6100
 Food & Groceries95.1  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock87.9100
 Housing87.8  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$264,100$338,100
 Utilities86  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock87.4100
 Miscellaneous93.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
DID YOU KNOW?

In order to keep your same standard of living your salary can vary greatly - whether you buy or rent, require child care, or want to include taxes. This is why we are now offering a Premium Salary & Cost of Living Calculator.

Our Premium Calculator Includes:
- Compare Cities cost of living across 9 different categories
- Personal salary calculations can optionally include Home ownership or rental, Child care, and Taxes (with details on state and local sales, income, property and automobile taxes)
- Includes the cost of Child Care for toddlers or infants, at a day care center or home care
- Grocery prices, detailed for 29 staple items in six categories
- Difference in cost of Utilities, including electric, gas and fuel oil
- Health Care Premiums and hospital expenses for major surgeries
- Taxes, Fees and Expenses you should know about, such as local car insurance rates, automobile taxes and registration, commuting costs.
- and 100s of other items you should consider before you relocate

Upgrade to Premium | See Example

Reviews for St. Joseph    7 Reviews

I felt compelled to leave a comment because other young professionals have left words of St. Joe being boring, etc. I agree that St. Joe is not a great place for  More

   |    Reply

St. Joseph's location on Lake Michigan makes it a popular resort destination. The city is host to a number of festivals throughout the year, summer concerts by the river  More

   |    Reply

St. Joseph is like a little lost treasure on the west side of Michigan. Located near Lake Michigan, it's a town that has a wonderful mixture of rural and urban so you  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of St. Joseph

Reviews for East Lansing    4 Reviews

East Lansing is a wonderful, lively, youthful college town that has gotten better over time. You feel the strong Spartan Spirit everywhere as students, alumni and locals  More

   |    Reply

East Lansing is noted for being the home of one of the first Land Grant colleges -- Michigan State University. MSU has an large campus with an enormous area of land  More

   |    Reply

Over 17 years ago

East Lansing is a very pretty town. The town has had frequent problems with student rioters. Overall 60% of the town is composed of students. I would recommend East  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of East Lansing


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.