Michigan city guide
Detroit, MIHousing costs & affordability
Detroit has about 638,530 residents. Median gross rent is $1,074 per month, while median household income is $39,938.
Quick answer
What income supports the median rent?
A household would need about $43,000 per year to keep Detroit's median gross rent near 30% of gross income. The 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 32%.
High housing-cost benchmarkData scope: figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates. The latest official release was checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. The benchmark compares citywide medians and is designed for broad relocation research, not an individual budget or a live apartment search.
High estimate precision Margins of error use the Census ACS 90% confidence level. Smaller geographies and subgroups can have wider uncertainty.
Personal rent check
Make the numbers
work for you.
Compare Detroit’s median rent with a 30% target based on your gross annual household income.
Major-city decision brief · Priority city 17 of 30
What stands out for a move to Detroit
Four signals derived from the same Census dataset help separate the renting, buying and ownership picture.
-
01
Income versus the rent target
Median household income is $3,062 below the $43,000 income associated with median rent at 30%. The two medians point to tighter renter pressure before personal expenses are considered.
-
02
Rent position inside Michigan
Detroit ranks #20 from lowest to highest rent among 59 covered Michigan cities with usable rent estimates. Its rent is 35% below the dataset median across the full 10-state dataset.
-
03
Buying requires a different scale of income
Median home value equals 2.1x median household income, 50% below the dataset median. This ratio does not include rates, down payment, property tax, insurance or maintenance.
-
04
Ownership is one part of the local housing mix
50% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 20% below the dataset median. The remaining share includes renter-occupied housing and should not be read as current inventory availability.
How Detroit compares
Within Michigan, Detroit ranks #20 from lowest to highest rent among 59 covered places with usable rent estimates. Median rent is 35% below the dataset median. Household income ranks #55 from highest to lowest among 59 places with usable income estimates.
The citywide rent-to-income benchmark is above 30%. The rent-to-income benchmark is useful for comparing cities under one formula, but households with different incomes, unit sizes or debt loads will experience costs differently.
Renting snapshot
$12,888 in annual median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent totals about $12,888. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable in the ACS definition.
Buying snapshot
6.5x price-to-rent baseline
Median home value is about 6.5x annual median rent. This is a broad market comparison and does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance or maintenance.
Search terms, defined
How to read rent, home price and AMI searches
These distinctions keep the Census estimates comparable and prevent a historical survey measure from being mistaken for a live market quote.
- Average rent vs. median gross rent
- If you searched for the average rent in Detroit, the closest consistent Census measure on this page is $1,074 median gross rent. It is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent, not a live average asking rent. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
- Home price vs. median home value
- The reported $83,900 median home value is the midpoint of owner estimates for owner-occupied homes. It is not an average sale price, listing price or current automated valuation.
- Household income vs. AMI
- The $39,938 median household income is a Census city estimate. It is not HUD Area Median Income (AMI), an AMI eligibility limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
Keep comparing
Similar-size cities in Michigan
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Detroit?
Median gross rent is $1,074 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average rent in Detroit?
This page reports Census median gross rent of $1,074 per month, not a live average asking rent. Median is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes paying cash rent; gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
What income is needed for the median rent?
A gross household income of about $43,000 per year would keep median gross rent near 30% of income. This is a planning benchmark, not a landlord qualification rule.
Is housing affordable in Detroit?
The citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 32%, which this site labels a high housing-cost benchmark. Individual costs can differ substantially.
Does this page report Area Median Income or AMI?
No. The $39,938 figure is Census median household income for the city. It is not HUD Area Median Income, an AMI limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
What is the median home value in Detroit?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $83,900 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average home price in Detroit?
This page reports a Census median owner-occupied home value of $83,900, not an average sale price, current listing price or real-time market estimate.
Trace every number
Data sources for Detroit
2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates for Detroit, Michigan (Census place 2622000). Dollar estimates are in 2024 dollars. MOE means margin of error at 90% confidence.
Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens to see every source.
| Measure | Estimate | 90% MOE | Census source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rentUSD / month | $1,074 | ±$13 | B25064_001E |
| Median household incomeUSD / year | $39,938 | ±$937 | B19013_001E |
| Median owner-occupied home valueUSD | $83,900 | ±$1,317 | B25077_001E |
| PopulationPeople | 638,530 | ±62 | B01003_001E |
| Occupied housing unitsHousing units | 257,998 | ±2,206 | B25003_001E |
| Owner-occupied housing unitsHousing units | 129,895 | ±2,307 | B25003_002E |
Calculated separately: the $43,000 annual income target = $1,074 monthly gross rent × 12 ÷ 0.30, rounded to $100. Owner occupancy = owner-occupied units ÷ occupied units. These are derived benchmarks, not separate Census estimates. Missing or suppressed values are shown as “Not reported”; open-ended medians use a + or an “Under” label and are excluded from exact derived calculations; ranks use usable point estimates and do not establish statistically significant differences.
Good research deserves a source.
MoveCostCompare. “Housing costs in Detroit, Michigan.” U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. $1,074 median gross rent per month (90% MOE ±$13). https://movecostcompare.com/city/detroit-michigan. Survey estimate, not live asking rent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.