Cost Of Living in Dowagiac, MI

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20%

Overall NAT. AVG.

12%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

52%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Dowagiac	Michigan	National
Cost of living	80	89	100
Goods & Services	88	93	100
Groceries	98	99	100
Health care	84	93	100
Housing	48	74	100
Transportation	96	97	100
Utilities	107	101	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Dowagiac is 11% lower than the Michigan average
The cost of living in Dowagiac is 20% lower than the national average
Dowagiac housing is 52% lower than the national average
Michigan general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Michigan state income tax is 64% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$57,096	$4,758	$1,332	$1,713
Renters	$22,994	$1,916	$536	$690

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Dowagiac, MI, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Dowagiac, the median monthly income is $57,096 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,332 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $22,994, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $536 on monthly rental expenses.

Michigan Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Michigan	6%	6%

Michigan Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Michigan	4.25%	4.25%

Goods & Services

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.25	$24.26	20.6%
Beauty Salon	$26.42	$45.56	42.0%
Toothpaste	$3.59	$3.70	3.0%
Shampoo	$1.14	$1.28	11.0%
Movie	$8.35	$12.13	31.2%
Bowling	$16.07	$18.00	10.7%

Groceries

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.62	$5.84	13.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.38	$1.57	12.3%
Milk	$4.65	$4.67	0.4%
Potatoes	$4.58	$4.93	7.2%
Pizza	$11.14	$12.09	7.8%
Beer	$9.06	$10.41	12.9%

Health Care

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$74.50	$125.68	40.7%
Doctor	$121.31	$135.78	10.7%
Dentist	$112.00	$113.29	1.1%
Ibuprofen	$10.34	$10.65	2.9%
Lipitor	$490.47	$468.60	4.7%

Housing

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$74,700.00	$184,700.00	59.6%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,416.13	$2,346.69	39.7%
Apartment Rent	$611.00	$949.00	35.6%

Transportation

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.34	$3.46	3.4%
Tire Balancing	$54.56	$59.92	9.0%

Utilities

Item	Dowagiac	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$205.85	$193.99	6.1%
Phone	$184.44	$192.25	4.1%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Vandalia, MI	387	77	23.0%
Cassopolis, MI	1,684	78	22.4%
Niles, MI	11,168	80	19.7%
Decatur, MI	1,935	83	17.4%
Watervliet, MI	2,082	83	17.4%
Dowagiac, MI	5,695	80	20.4%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Lucerne Valley, CA	5,694	104	4.1%
Palm Springs North, FL	5,694	143	43.0%
Fairview, NY	5,693	116	15.8%
East Ferris, ON	5,697	n/a
South Tucson, AZ	5,692	92	8.4%
Dowagiac, MI	5,695	80	20.4%