City comparison
Lansing, MI vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Overall prices in Lansing, MI (95.0) and San Antonio, TX (94.7, U.S. average = 100) are within 1% of each other, so $100,000 in Lansing, MI goes as far as $99,700 in San Antonio, TX.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,177 a month in San Antonio, TX versus $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 18% of take-home pay in San Antonio, TX and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,999 a year higher in Lansing, MI than in San Antonio, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −8.0% moving from Lansing, MI to San Antonio, TX ($117,402 → $108,001), while prices change by −0.3%. Net effect of the transfer: −7.7% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lansing, MI | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $99,710 in San Antonio | $100,290 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → San Antonio, TX
Roughly even
Buying power +0.3%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax −$3,999/yr.
70 Fair offer
San Antonio, TX → Lansing, MI
Roughly even
Buying power −0.3%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax +$3,999/yr.
68 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Lansing → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $62,629 | −7.7% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $75,776 | −7.7% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $90,823 | −7.7% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $108,001 | −7.7% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $127,624 | −7.7% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $72,930 | $61,720 | $61,899 (−15.1%) |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $128,430 | $128,803 (+32.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $78,650 | $78,878 (−0.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $94,370 | $94,644 (+12.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.