Is Ann Arbor cheaper than Burlington?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Ann Arbor and Burlington metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Ann Arbor or Burlington?

Household incomes are similar — $90,523 in the Ann Arbor metro versus $89,615 in Burlington (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Ann Arbor or Burlington?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($89,733 versus $88,773).

Which has cheaper rent, Ann Arbor or Burlington?

Ann Arbor has cheaper rent — a median of $1,554/mo versus $1,631/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Ann Arbor vs Burlington

Metro-area medians — Ann Arbor, MI Metro Area vs Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Burlington comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Ann Arbor and Burlington are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Burlington has the tighter job market — 2.4% unemployment versus 4.3%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Ann Arbor, MI

$58,126

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$57,619

real value after local prices

Burlington, VT

$58,409

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$57,860

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Burlington leaves you about $241/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Ann Arbor

Burlington

Livability (CityLedger)

71/100

77/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,733

$88,773

Median household income

$90,523

$89,615

Median rent

$1,554/mo

$1,631/mo

Median home value

$395,300

$438,100

Unemployment

4.3%

2.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

59.9%

50.9%

Average commute

24.4 min

21.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

48°F

Choose Ann Arbor for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Ann Arbor profile →

Choose Burlington for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Burlington profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Ann Arbor and Burlington on cost, income, size, and education.

Ann Arbor vs Fort Collins→Ann Arbor vs Charlottesville→Ann Arbor vs Durham→Burlington vs Amherst Town→Burlington vs Charlottesville→Burlington vs Fort Collins→

Ann Arbor vs Burlington — frequently asked

Is Ann Arbor cheaper than Burlington?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Ann Arbor and Burlington metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Ann Arbor or Burlington?: Household incomes are similar — $90,523 in the Ann Arbor metro versus $89,615 in Burlington (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Ann Arbor or Burlington?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($89,733 versus $88,773).
Which has cheaper rent, Ann Arbor or Burlington?: Ann Arbor has cheaper rent — a median of $1,554/mo versus $1,631/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).