Michigan cities

The best places to live in Michigan

Michigan's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Berkley leads the list.

We scored Michigan's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#CityMedian homeRentValueOverall
16 Ann Arbor $366,600 $1,382 42 68
19 Livonia $219,400 $1,160 59 63
26 Troy $335,000 $1,347 51 58
32 Dearborn $162,900 $1,098 44 54
37 Sterling Heights $213,200 $1,117 43 48
56 Grand Rapids $168,700 $1,013 28 39
57 Westland $143,500 $970 46 39
61 Lansing $95,400 $889 50 36
63 Detroit $57,700 $899 46 32
65 Warren $143,600 $1,029 38 32

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Michigan. Updated 2026.