How Affordable Is Michigan, Really?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#31

31st out of 50 states overall.

Below average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#11

11th cheapest state, about 14% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $64,400 here.

How we measure cost ›

Michigan ranks 31st of 50 states for overall quality of life and 11th for affordability. It does best on cost, walkability, and green space, and struggles most with climate, economy, and air quality. A typical household earns about $69,800 a year, and the cost of living runs about 14% below average.

Why Michigan ranks #31 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how Michigan scores on each, best to worst.

Cost of living
#11 of 50
Walkability
#18 of 50
Green space
#19 of 50
Healthcare
#26 of 50
Dog friendly
#29 of 50
Education
#30 of 50
Safety
#32 of 50
Climate
#33 of 50
Economy
#44 of 50
Air quality
#47 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

Michigan at a glance

Typical household income

$69,800

25th highest

Typical home price

$257,000

41st highest

Overall cost of living

14% below average

11th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 9%

31st highest income tax

Typical commute

About 24 min

one way

Taxes in Michigan

See your real Michigan take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after Michigan taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.