(The Center Square) – Detroit residents continue to face high living costs, an issue likely to remain a key concern as the November election approaches.

This comes as a new study from WalletHub found the city ranks worst in the nation for grocery costs relative to household income.

Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, discussed the 2026 results with The Center Square in an exclusive interview.

“Grocery affordability is an important part of the broader cost-of-living picture because food is an essential expense that households cannot simply eliminate,” Lupo said. “People must allocate a larger-than-normal percentage of their income to groceries and other staples, like gas, leaving them with less money for other things. This can lead people to borrow at high interest rates, making their situation even less affordable in the long run.”

In Detroit’s case, it ranked No. 1 among 100 major U.S. cities for grocery costs as a share of median monthly household income. The study found that 26 common grocery items cost an amount equivalent to 4.03% of the city's median monthly household income.

Lupo said the findings highlight how household earnings can influence affordability, even when prices themselves are not among the highest in the country.

“The biggest takeaway from this study is that grocery affordability isn’t just about how much food costs, but also how much people earn,” Lupo explained. “Detroit tops the list despite having only the 39th-most expensive groceries, largely because it has the lowest median household income.”

Detroit’s median annual household income was $39,938.

“As a result, even relatively average grocery prices take a larger bite out of residents’ budgets, with the 26 items studied costing 4% of median monthly household income,” Lupo said.

Cleveland, Ohio, ranked second in the WalletHub study, with groceries accounting for 3.93% of median monthly household income. Birmingham, Alabama, ranked third at 3.45%, followed by Toledo, Ohio, at 3.20%, and Newark, New Jersey, at 3.15%.

At the other end of the rankings, Fremont, California, had the lowest grocery costs relative to income, at 0.91%, despite having the 17th-most-expensive groceries among the cities studied. San Jose and San Francisco, California, also ranked among the five cities with the lowest grocery costs as a share of income.

“This highlights how grocery affordability depends not just on prices, but also on how much people earn,” Lupo said.

A separate SmartAsset analysis provided another, more promising perspective on Detroit residents' financial circumstances though.

The 2026 Paycheck Power Rankings examined how much income workers have left after covering basic necessities across the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas, with Detroit ranking 11th nationally.

“There, the median worker only needs to spend 68% of their income on basic necessities, leaving them $21,749 per year for discretionary spending and retirement savings,” said Toby Nelson, who authored the study.

Austin, Texas, ranked number one on the study. It also found that Honolulu workers faced the greatest pressure, with median earners spending 99% of their income on basic necessities.

While each study measures different aspects of affordability, together they show how the high cost of basic necessities and low household income is directly affecting Detroit residents.

“The balance between income and expenses determines how much workers have left to save, invest or spend after covering everyday needs,” Nelson said.

Both studies come as a recent poll found that Michigan voters ranked jobs and the economy (14.3%), inflation and the cost of living (11.4%), and taxes and government spending (7.5%) among their top concerns ahead of the November election.