Is Ann Arbor cheaper than Charlottesville?

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

Which has higher household income, Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?

Charlottesville has the higher median household income — $95,796 versus $90,523 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?

A paycheck stretches further in Charlottesville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $96,621 there versus $89,733 in Ann Arbor.

Which has cheaper rent, Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?

Rents are close — $1,554/mo in the Ann Arbor metro versus $1,542/mo in Charlottesville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Ann Arbor vs Charlottesville

Metro-area medians — Ann Arbor, MI Metro Area vs Charlottesville, VA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Charlottesville comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Ann Arbor and Charlottesville cost about the same to live in, but Charlottesville households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Charlottesville.

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

Charlottesville, VA

$57,747

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$58,245

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Charlottesville leaves you about $626/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

Charlottesville

Livability (CityLedger)

71/100

84/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.9

99.1

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,733

$96,621

Median household income

$90,523

$95,796

Median rent

$1,554/mo

$1,542/mo

Median home value

$395,300

$466,600

Unemployment

4.3%

2.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

59.9%

56.2%

Average commute

24.4 min

24.3 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

48°F

56°F

Choose Ann Arbor for

+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Ann Arbor profile →

Choose Charlottesville for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Charlottesville profile →

Ann Arbor vs Charlottesville — frequently asked

Is Ann Arbor cheaper than Charlottesville?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Ann Arbor and Charlottesville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?: Charlottesville has the higher median household income — $95,796 versus $90,523 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?: A paycheck stretches further in Charlottesville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $96,621 there versus $89,733 in Ann Arbor.
Which has cheaper rent, Ann Arbor or Charlottesville?: Rents are close — $1,554/mo in the Ann Arbor metro versus $1,542/mo in Charlottesville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).