Michigan Cost of Living
Housing costs and affordability data for 83 counties.
Average Monthly Rent
$906/mo
Average Home Value
$197,293
Average Owner Cost
$918/mo
County cost atlas
Michigan housing costs by county
Compare rent, entry-price context, owner costs, and cost score in one state view. Pin a county, switch layers, then open the full county profile when a place needs closer review.
Counties
83
Avg rent
$906/mo
Owner cost
$918/mo
Avg score
49.5
Higher means lower cost pressure
Atlas layers use U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates. Rent, owner cost, and home value are county medians. Cost score rewards lower rent and lower owner costs, but affordability still depends on income, household size, commute, debt, and personal finances. Use this as decision context, not personalized financial advice.
State Cost Summary
Use these state averages as a starting point, then scan the atlas and rankings for the county-level spread behind them.
Housing Costs in Michigan: An Overview
The unweighted mean of county median rents in Michigan is $906 per month, which is 36% below the national ACS median of $1,413. This gives every county equal weight and is not an official statewide median.
Within Michigan, housing costs vary significantly by county. Washtenaw County has the highest median rent in this dataset at $1,463 per month and a median home value of $374,100. Ontonagon County has the lowest reported median rent at $540 per month and a median home value of $111,700.
The unweighted mean of county median home values in Michigan is $197,293, 41% lower than the national ACS median of $332,700. The unweighted mean of county median household incomes is $66,133; neither figure is a household-weighted statewide estimate.
Before comparing places in Michigan, start with the county-level pattern. Costs can swing dramatically between rural and urban counties. Use the atlas, rankings, and county links below to compare rent, home values, owner costs, and rent burden before opening a specific county profile.
Distribution
Rent Distribution in Michigan
How median rents are spread across 83 counties
Highest Median Rent Counties
Lowest Median Rent Counties
All Michigan Counties
Sorted by median rent, highest first. A higher cost score means lower rent and owner cost pressure within the national scoring model.
| County | Median Rent | Home Value | Owner Cost | Cost Score | Rent/Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washtenaw County | $1,000–$1,500$1,463/mo | $374,100 | $1,659/mo | 7.9 | 33.7% |
| Oakland County | $1,000–$1,500$1,376/mo | $343,600 | $1,518/mo | 10.1 | 27.8% |
| Grand Traverse County | $1,000–$1,500$1,288/mo | $339,400 | $1,186/mo | 17.2 | 30.1% |
| Livingston County | $1,000–$1,500$1,287/mo | $356,800 | $1,518/mo | 11.8 | 29.6% |
| Kent County | $1,000–$1,500$1,243/mo | $289,900 | $1,206/mo | 17.7 | 29.6% |
| Leelanau County | $1,000–$1,500$1,228/mo | $458,400 | $1,256/mo | 16.8 | 24.4% |
| Macomb County | $1,000–$1,500$1,211/mo | $243,900 | $1,199/mo | 18.4 | 30.4% |
| Ottawa County | $1,000–$1,500$1,211/mo | $323,400 | $1,252/mo | 17.1 | 29.7% |
| Wayne County | $1,000–$1,500$1,132/mo | $178,500 | $1,014/mo | 26.6 | 32.4% |
| Emmet County | $1,000–$1,500$1,112/mo | $315,700 | $1,132/mo | 22.9 | 27.5% |
| Allegan County | $1,000–$1,500$1,100/mo | $267,100 | $1,090/mo | 25.0 | 28.6% |
| Kalamazoo County | $1,000–$1,500$1,093/mo | $241,800 | $1,194/mo | 21.9 | 31.3% |
| Clinton County | $1,000–$1,500$1,092/mo | $259,500 | $1,210/mo | 21.6 | 27.3% |
| Eaton County | $1,000–$1,500$1,092/mo | $216,900 | $1,141/mo | 23.6 | 26.7% |
| Ingham County | $1,000–$1,500$1,084/mo | $198,800 | $1,181/mo | 22.5 | 31.9% |
| Monroe County | $1,000–$1,500$1,059/mo | $228,900 | $1,146/mo | 24.6 | 30.3% |
| St. Clair County | $1,000–$1,500$1,029/mo | $224,600 | $1,023/mo | 30.4 | 32.5% |
| Muskegon County | $1,000–$1,500$1,028/mo | $198,300 | $931/mo | 34.8 | 31.7% |
| Benzie County | $1,000–$1,500$1,026/mo | $285,700 | $1,044/mo | 29.8 | 30.4% |
| Midland County | $1,000–$1,500$1,016/mo | $195,400 | $1,019/mo | 31.1 | 30.7% |
| Otsego County | $1,000–$1,500$1,008/mo | $219,700 | $1,021/mo | 31.4 | 31.2% |
| Genesee County | Under $1,000$989/mo | $182,400 | $1,021/mo | 32.4 | 31.6% |
| Lapeer County | Under $1,000$988/mo | $239,000 | $1,082/mo | 30.1 | 30.7% |
| Lenawee County | Under $1,000$987/mo | $196,800 | $1,048/mo | 31.7 | 28.8% |
| Jackson County | Under $1,000$985/mo | $193,700 | $964/mo | 35.3 | 28.2% |
| Barry County | Under $1,000$972/mo | $264,100 | $1,121/mo | 29.8 | 28.2% |
| Calhoun County | Under $1,000$968/mo | $162,800 | $941/mo | 37.4 | 29.3% |
| Branch County | Under $1,000$959/mo | $162,500 | $856/mo | 43.4 | 27.6% |
| Charlevoix County | Under $1,000$949/mo | $276,800 | $1,084/mo | 32.4 | 29.8% |
| Marquette County | Under $1,000$949/mo | $216,500 | $897/mo | 41.1 | 31.7% |
| Saginaw County | Under $1,000$947/mo | $152,800 | $851/mo | 44.5 | 32.7% |
| Berrien County | Under $1,000$942/mo | $224,300 | $1,002/mo | 36.0 | 29.9% |
| Mecosta County | Under $1,000$934/mo | $178,900 | $834/mo | 46.7 | 31.0% |
| Cass County | Under $1,000$916/mo | $218,000 | $992/mo | 38.8 | 28.6% |
| Isabella County | Under $1,000$913/mo | $170,400 | $954/mo | 40.9 | 31.0% |
| Newaygo County | Under $1,000$904/mo | $186,700 | $870/mo | 46.9 | 27.5% |
| Antrim County | Under $1,000$902/mo | $255,500 | $1,001/mo | 39.6 | 24.3% |
| Shiawassee County | Under $1,000$899/mo | $171,600 | $959/mo | 41.9 | 28.6% |
| Wexford County | Under $1,000$897/mo | $170,400 | $894/mo | 45.7 | 31.0% |
| Mason County | Under $1,000$896/mo | $219,600 | $895/mo | 45.7 | 29.5% |
| Missaukee County | Under $1,000$891/mo | $170,400 | $863/mo | 48.5 | 29.9% |
| Ionia County | Under $1,000$884/mo | $198,500 | $1,001/mo | 41.1 | 29.6% |
| Lake County | Under $1,000$875/mo | $133,900 | $752/mo | 57.8 | 33.3% |
| Van Buren County | Under $1,000$870/mo | $206,500 | $1,040/mo | 40.9 | 29.4% |
| Montcalm County | Under $1,000$869/mo | $185,500 | $928/mo | 46.2 | 28.0% |
| Alcona County | Under $1,000$867/mo | $162,800 | $680/mo | 63.7 | 30.6% |
| Crawford County | Under $1,000$862/mo | $163,000 | $763/mo | 58.0 | 28.9% |
| Bay County | Under $1,000$860/mo | $152,200 | $841/mo | 52.8 | 27.9% |
| Kalkaska County | Under $1,000$853/mo | $188,900 | $902/mo | 49.3 | 24.6% |
| St. Joseph County | Under $1,000$849/mo | $178,300 | $906/mo | 49.6 | 25.0% |
| Manistee County | Under $1,000$842/mo | $182,200 | $797/mo | 57.9 | 31.1% |
| Houghton County | Under $1,000$840/mo | $159,900 | $755/mo | 61.2 | 33.3% |
| Gratiot County | Under $1,000$834/mo | $147,500 | $916/mo | 50.8 | 28.7% |
| Hillsdale County | Under $1,000$832/mo | $176,100 | $890/mo | 52.6 | 27.3% |
| Ogemaw County | Under $1,000$823/mo | $154,900 | $720/mo | 65.8 | 31.9% |
| Tuscola County | Under $1,000$819/mo | $149,500 | $803/mo | 60.0 | 27.7% |
| Roscommon County | Under $1,000$816/mo | $158,700 | $647/mo | 71.7 | 29.0% |
| Osceola County | Under $1,000$807/mo | $155,400 | $793/mo | 62.2 | 27.4% |
| Sanilac County | Under $1,000$807/mo | $168,300 | $814/mo | 60.6 | 28.4% |
| Chippewa County | Under $1,000$797/mo | $161,900 | $835/mo | 60.3 | 28.9% |
| Dickinson County | Under $1,000$797/mo | $153,300 | $751/mo | 66.4 | 29.6% |
| Huron County | Under $1,000$788/mo | $154,300 | $714/mo | 70.3 | 24.8% |
| Cheboygan County | Under $1,000$773/mo | $192,500 | $809/mo | 65.3 | 26.6% |
| Clare County | Under $1,000$765/mo | $133,800 | $712/mo | 73.3 | 29.8% |
| Arenac County | Under $1,000$761/mo | $150,600 | $743/mo | 71.4 | 27.6% |
| Mackinac County | Under $1,000$760/mo | $174,500 | $757/mo | 70.6 | 23.0% |
| Oceana County | Under $1,000$759/mo | $190,100 | $812/mo | 66.6 | 26.5% |
| Iosco County | Under $1,000$719/mo | $142,200 | $626/mo | 83.7 | 27.7% |
| Iron County | Under $1,000$716/mo | $109,100 | $662/mo | 81.5 | 28.8% |
| Alger County | Under $1,000$714/mo | $176,200 | $795/mo | 72.0 | 21.9% |
| Schoolcraft County | Under $1,000$705/mo | $141,800 | $655/mo | 82.8 | 29.7% |
| Delta County | Under $1,000$692/mo | $157,100 | $776/mo | 74.8 | 26.9% |
| Menominee County | Under $1,000$692/mo | $151,800 | $677/mo | 82.0 | 27.7% |
| Gladwin County | Under $1,000$690/mo | $162,300 | $793/mo | 73.7 | 29.2% |
| Keweenaw County | Under $1,000$688/mo | $169,800 | $688/mo | 81.7 | 23.3% |
| Montmorency County | Under $1,000$686/mo | $158,600 | $679/mo | 82.4 | 35.7% |
| Presque Isle County | Under $1,000$683/mo | $151,300 | $688/mo | 82.0 | 31.9% |
| Oscoda County | Under $1,000$681/mo | $125,500 | $668/mo | 83.6 | 25.9% |
| Luce County | Under $1,000$675/mo | $112,000 | $665/mo | 84.2 | 33.0% |
| Alpena County | Under $1,000$673/mo | $153,900 | $708/mo | 81.3 | 30.4% |
| Gogebic County | Under $1,000$623/mo | $107,200 | $661/mo | 86.9 | 27.5% |
| Baraga County | Under $1,000$616/mo | $138,100 | $725/mo | 82.5 | 21.0% |
| Ontonagon County | Under $1,000$540/mo | $111,700 | $601/mo | 92.0 | 22.3% |
Compare Michigan to Other States
See how Michigan counties stack up against counties in other states. Compare rent, home values, and affordability side by side.
Start a ComparisonFrequently Asked Questions About Michigan Housing Costs
Which Michigan county has the lowest median rent?
Which Michigan county has the highest median rent?
How does Michigan's cost of living compare to the national average?
What is the unweighted county-mean home value in Michigan?
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Compare Moving QuotesData: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2020-2024). Data is informational only and is not personalized financial advice.