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CityLedger

College Station vs Kalamazoo

Metro-area medians — College Station-Bryan, TX Metro Area vs Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Kalamazoo comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

College Station is about 4% cheaper to live in, while Kalamazoo households earn about 15% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Kalamazoo.

Their widest everyday difference: College Station has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 39 versus 45.

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.

College Station, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$67,414
real value after local prices
Kalamazoo, MI
$58,126
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$61,288
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, College Station leaves you about $6,125/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
College Station
Kalamazoo
Livability (CityLedger)
44/100
53/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
91.0
94.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$68,150
$74,936
Median household income
$61,983
$71,069
Median rent
$1,195/mo
$1,080/mo
Median home value
$301,800
$260,600
Unemployment
4.7%
4.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
42.5%
41.2%
Average commute
19.7 min
20.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
39
45
Avg temperature
69°F
50°F

Choose College Station for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full College Station profile →

Choose Kalamazoo for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
Full Kalamazoo profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to College Station and Kalamazoo on cost, income, size, and education.

College Station vs Champaign→College Station vs Lafayette→College Station vs Lincoln→Kalamazoo vs Lincoln→Kalamazoo vs Lansing→Kalamazoo vs Bloomington→

College Station vs Kalamazoo — frequently asked

Is College Station cheaper than Kalamazoo?
College Station is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Kalamazoo's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, College Station or Kalamazoo?
Kalamazoo has the higher median household income — $71,069 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.
Does a paycheck go further in College Station or Kalamazoo?
A paycheck stretches further in Kalamazoo. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $74,936 there versus $68,150 in College Station.
Which has cheaper rent, College Station or Kalamazoo?
Kalamazoo has cheaper rent — a median of $1,080/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).