Overall
94.8
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
Cost-of-living indicators for Kalamazoo-Portage, MI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 94.8
- Overall RPP
- #171
- of 387 metros
- 81.6
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Kalamazoo ranks #171 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.6 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Glens Falls
The verdict
Kalamazoo costs less than 44% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 94.8, 5.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 81.6.
- bottom 56%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 99.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $105,441 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $94,840.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$94,840
in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,420
$75,000 nationally
$71,130
$125,000 nationally
$118,550
$150,000 nationally
$142,260
$200,000 nationally
$189,680
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
45/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
45th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 2.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2016, when the index jumped 3.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Kalamazoo overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.5 |
| 2009 | 97.7 |
| 2010 | 95.5 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 95.4 |
| 2013 | 96.6 |
| 2014 | 96.3 |
| 2015 | 93.1 |
| 2016 | 96.4 |
| 2017 | 93.4 |
| 2018 | 94.9 |
| 2019 | 94.1 |
| 2020 | 95.3 |
| 2021 | 93.1 |
| 2022 | 94.8 |
| 2023 | 94.1 |
| 2024 | 94.8 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kalamazoo's overall RPP rose +0.7 points, from 94.1 in 2023 to 94.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 97.9 to 99.3. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Kalamazoo's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Kalamazoo: rents index at 81.6, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 94.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Cleveland, OH, Lansing-East Lansing, MI, Akron, OH. They resemble Kalamazoo across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Kalamazoo's overall index has fallen by 2.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Kalamazoo vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
95 Top 44% higher than 56% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Kalamazoo cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
81.6 RPP
- Services
Services
99.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
94.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Kalamazoo's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 81.6 depart furthest from 100, while goods sits at 93.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Kalamazoo's cost comes from
Metros near Kalamazoo's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Crosshairs sit at the group median (goods 96.4, rents 82.3). Kalamazoo is more affordable than similar-cost metros across the board. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
- Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 81.6
- Glens Falls: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 76.2
- Harrisonburg: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 82.3
- Lewiston: goods RPP 97.2, rents RPP 69
- San Antonio: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 94.6
- Daphne: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 89.2
- Lansing: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 83.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
99.3
Below avg
Rents
81.6
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Kalamazoo-Portage, MI's index of 94.8.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Kalamazoo's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Cleveland, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.0 · Rents 79.4 Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.5 · Rents 83.5 Akron, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.4 · Rents 76.8 Salisbury, MD
Goods 96.6 · Services 102.8 · Rents 87.2 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
Goods 96.4 · Services 95.7 · Rents 75.7 Columbus, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 95.5 · Rents 87.9
MI-relative analysis
Goods prices places Kalamazoo-Portage, MI near the bottom of MI's metros
Among the 15 MI metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Kalamazoo-Portage, MI ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Kalamazoo-Portage, MI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 15
0th percentile in MI
Services prices
#2 of 15
87th percentile in MI
Rent prices
#5 of 15
67th percentile in MI
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MI only, not a livability score.
Other MI Metros
Ann Arbor, MI 100.9 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 100.3 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI 95.5 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 95.0 Monroe, MI 93.5 Traverse City, MI 93.4
View all MI metros → Cheapest in MI → Most expensive in MI →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Kalamazoo
How to read Kalamazoo's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $105,441 in Kalamazoo. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 81.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Kalamazoo head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI?
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 94.8, meaning it is 5.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 99.3, and rents at 81.6. It ranks #171 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $94,840 in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI. Conversely, $100K earned in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI has the purchasing power of $105,441 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI?
Rents in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI are indexed at 81.6, which is 18.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Kalamazoo-Portage, MI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kalamazoo-Portage, MI's overall cost index changed by -2.6 points (from 97.5 to 94.8). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI?
The priciest category in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI is services at 99.3, 0.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 81.6, 18.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Kalamazoo-Portage, MI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Glens Falls, Harrisonburg, Lewiston-Auburn. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Kalamazoo-Portage, MI's 94.8.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.