Comparing Christmas Budgets in 16 Michigan Cities: $2.6K to $650

Christmas in Michigan! It's beautiful, it's joyous, and it can be downright stressful. For those families struggling to make ends meet, this time of year isn't as holly and jolly as those who don't have to worry about money.

Related: 5 Holiday Stresses You'll Face In Michigan and How to Handle Them

Nationally, holiday sales are projected to grow between 3% and 4% over last year's record record-setting spending of more than $957 billion. That's nearly a TRILLION DOLLARS spent on Christmas throughout the country.

How Much Michigan Cities on Average Will Spend on Christmas

Whether online or in-store, Michigan plans to spend an average of 2.2% of their annual household income on Christmas. While that average varies slightly from metro to metro, it shows that Michiganders do have a budget in mind before swiping their cards or handing out their cash.

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Keep in mind that while the percentage spent on the holidays is similar, the astonishing wage gap shines brighter than Rudolph's nose on Christmas Eve. There is nearly a $2,000 spending difference between Michigan's lowest and highest budgets.

Before we dive into Michigan's average Christmas spending by city, let's take a look at the nation's highest, and lowest budgets, according to WalletHub's rankings of 558 cities:

United States Highest Christmas Budgets

1. Palo Alto, California
   1. $3,596
2. Bellevue, Washington
   1. $3,576
3. Frisco, Texas
   1. $3,546

And now for the lowest:

United States Lowest Christmas Budgets

1. Lauderhill, Florida
   1. $495
2. Newark, New Jersey
   1. $508
3. Jackson, Mississippi
   1. $537

Obviously, there is a significant difference between #1 and #558...at least on paper. Certainly from a financial standpoint, the difference is obvious but, if I had to guess which home truly appreciates the season more, Palo Alto or Jackson, my money is on Mississippi.