Ann Arbor vs Grand Rapids
The short version
- Grand Rapids is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Ann Arbor area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $244,500 in Grand Rapids and $453,400 in Ann Arbor.
- Households earn more in Ann Arbor ($82,212 vs $69,108 median).
- Grand Rapids gets far more snow: 78 inches a year vs 59.
- Grand Rapids is growing faster: +1.2% since 2020 vs -1.3%.
Side by side
| Ann Arbor, MI | Grand Rapids, MI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 122,233 | 201,183 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 4,306 | 4,493 |
| Median age | 27.7 | 32.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 78% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $82,212 | $69,108 |
| Median home value | $453,400 | $244,500 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,649 | $1,266 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 95.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 125.3 | 86.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $71,700 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 4.25% | 4.25% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.0 | 19.0 |
| Work from home | 29% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 23.8% | 16.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 15° | 31° / 19° |
| July high / low | 84° / 57° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 30 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 59 in | 78 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 11 | 10 |
| Nights below freezing | 150 | 133 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.3 | 92.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 69% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.3% | +49.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Ann Arbor: May to September. Grand Rapids: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Ann Arbor weather by month and Grand Rapids weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Ann Arbor and $71,700 in Grand Rapids. Moving from Ann Arbor to Grand Rapids, you would need about $71,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Which would you pick?
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