Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.
Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Michigan with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Michigan that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Michigan at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Dundee.
2.9% population growth · -0.3% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.2% population growth · -3.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.1% population growth · -0.7% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.1% population growth · 1.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.3% population growth · -0.0% home price growth
Data | Movers
-0.2% population growth · 1.8% home price growth
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,998 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.1% population growth · 0.2% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.4% population growth · 1.8% home price growth
Grosse Pointe is a waterfront city adjacent to Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The municipality covers just over one square mile and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe Farms, and on the south by Lake Saint Clair. Grosse Pointe is about eight miles east of downtown Detroit, accessible by Jefferson Avenue or several other cross streets. Grosse Pointe is one of five similarly named municipalities in northeastern Wayne County, and is often called “The City” or Grosse Pointe City.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.5% population growth · 0.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.3% population growth · -0.2% home price growth
Eaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,214 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
Michigan statewide median: $259,857
On the map
Where Michigan’s best buys are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Michigan for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for over a decade. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Michigan. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Michigan with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Michigan, with these caveats: home prices had to be within 20% of the state average, home prices increased in the last year, and the city had above 5,000 people.
So of the 692 cities and towns in Michigan, only 153 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 153 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Dundee is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Wolverine State. The median Michigan home is 54 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Best Places To Buy A Home In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundee | 5,744 | $286,249 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2 | Gladstone | 5,253 | $204,038 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 3 | New Haven | 6,475 | $308,844 | 2.1% | -0.7% |
| 4 | Davison | 5,076 | $253,626 | -0.1% | 1.1% |
| 5 | Kingsford | 5,124 | $146,083 | -0.3% | -0.0% |
| 6 | Allegan | 5,172 | $279,562 | -0.2% | 1.8% |
| 7 | Utica | 5,180 | $253,468 | -0.1% | 0.2% |
| 8 | Grosse Pointe | 5,541 | $469,116 | -0.4% | 1.8% |
| 9 | Springfield | 5,269 | $419,638 | -0.5% | 0.1% |
| 10 | Eaton Rapids | 5,183 | $250,600 | -0.3% | -0.2% |
| 11 | St. Clair | 5,585 | $311,688 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 12 | Chelsea | 5,426 | $411,817 | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| 13 | Frankenmuth | 5,157 | $315,291 | 1.0% | -0.5% |
| 14 | Swartz Creek | 5,853 | $245,863 | -0.1% | 1.6% |
| 15 | Zeeland | 5,665 | $382,237 | -0.5% | 0.3% |
| 16 | Dowagiac | 5,732 | $224,662 | 1.0% | 1.6% |
| 17 | Petoskey | 5,856 | $472,426 | 0.1% | 2.4% |
| 18 | Belding | 5,960 | $264,511 | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| 19 | Richmond | 5,855 | $303,793 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 20 | Northville | 6,069 | $588,077 | -0.2% | 2.4% |
| 21 | Milan | 5,987 | $303,662 | -1.4% | 1.3% |
| 22 | Manistee | 6,275 | $257,759 | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| 23 | Holly | 5,964 | $320,381 | -0.1% | 1.1% |
| 24 | Huntington Woods | 6,328 | $537,208 | 0.1% | 3.3% |
| 25 | Rockford | 6,218 | $450,322 | 0.9% | 2.0% |
| 26 | Ishpeming | 6,181 | $182,186 | 0.1% | -0.0% |
| 27 | Milford | 6,487 | $481,467 | 0.3% | 2.0% |
| 28 | Marshall | 6,804 | $240,469 | 0.1% | -0.0% |
| 29 | Walled Lake | 7,299 | $242,300 | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 30 | St. Louis | 7,367 | $162,578 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 31 | Hastings | 7,520 | $235,811 | 0.1% | 3.3% |
| 32 | Iron Mountain | 7,518 | $182,105 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 33 | Hudsonville | 7,769 | $417,204 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| 34 | River Rouge | 7,008 | $85,479 | -1.2% | 2.6% |
| 35 | Three Rivers | 7,943 | $222,657 | 0.1% | 3.6% |
| 36 | Brighton | 7,688 | $432,666 | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| 37 | Houghton | 8,474 | $262,335 | 1.6% | -1.8% |
| 38 | Grand Ledge | 7,804 | $296,333 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 39 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | $285,257 | -0.1% | -0.6% |
| 40 | Flushing | 8,284 | $235,733 | -0.5% | 0.5% |
| 41 | St. Johns | 7,715 | $286,182 | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| 42 | Hillsdale | 8,002 | $199,154 | -0.1% | 1.8% |
| 43 | Menominee | 8,326 | $167,970 | -0.5% | -4.8% |
| 44 | Ludington | 7,676 | $298,513 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 45 | Center Line | 8,463 | $166,336 | 0.2% | -2.5% |
| 46 | St. Joseph | 7,986 | $328,307 | 2.3% | -0.0% |
| 47 | Tecumseh | 8,646 | $254,886 | -0.1% | 1.7% |
| 48 | Albion | 7,560 | $137,319 | -0.6% | -1.3% |
| 49 | Greenville | 8,995 | $265,109 | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| 50 | Mason | 8,249 | $275,133 | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| 51 | Lapeer | 9,082 | $261,368 | 0.3% | -2.6% |
| 52 | Alma | 9,396 | $162,540 | -0.3% | 1.0% |
| 53 | Charlotte | 9,277 | $235,060 | 0.1% | -1.1% |
| 54 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 9,904 | $513,933 | -0.5% | 2.1% |
| 55 | Plymouth | 9,214 | $471,425 | -0.2% | 1.5% |
| 56 | Saline | 9,006 | $465,110 | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| 57 | Ecorse | 9,064 | $81,039 | -1.2% | -0.1% |
| 58 | Howell | 10,021 | $377,375 | -0.5% | 1.0% |
| 59 | Marysville | 9,925 | $227,854 | -0.2% | 0.9% |
| 60 | Benton Harbor | 8,953 | $151,455 | -0.8% | -1.8% |
| 61 | Flat Rock | 10,340 | $257,473 | -0.7% | 0.3% |
| 62 | Alpena | 10,154 | $187,287 | -0.2% | 1.4% |
| 63 | Melvindale | 12,554 | $139,402 | -0.4% | -1.6% |
| 64 | Big Rapids | 8,477 | $215,285 | 8.0% | 1.7% |
| 65 | Beverly Hills | 10,524 | $587,951 | 0.2% | 4.9% |
| 66 | Cadillac | 10,445 | $228,847 | 0.4% | -0.7% |
| 67 | Farmington | 11,504 | $327,491 | 0.3% | 2.2% |
| 68 | Muskegon Heights | 9,841 | $88,077 | -0.6% | 3.6% |
| 69 | Highland Park | 8,628 | $88,863 | -1.9% | -1.4% |
| 70 | Sturgis | 11,054 | $206,369 | -0.2% | 2.4% |
| 71 | Grand Haven | 10,996 | $391,797 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 72 | Grosse Pointe Park | 11,319 | $502,195 | -0.7% | 1.0% |
| 73 | Niles | 11,803 | $204,971 | -0.3% | 1.3% |
| 74 | Ionia | 12,753 | $222,836 | -1.5% | 2.9% |
| 75 | Fenton | 11,906 | $355,969 | -0.4% | 0.2% |
| 76 | South Lyon | 11,950 | $467,292 | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 77 | East Grand Rapids | 11,445 | $664,184 | 0.4% | 3.7% |
| 78 | Clawson | 11,374 | $286,026 | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| 79 | Riverview | 12,186 | $242,241 | -0.7% | 1.5% |
| 80 | Escanaba | 12,354 | $175,184 | -0.2% | -0.9% |
| 81 | Coldwater | 13,671 | $210,965 | -1.3% | -0.2% |
| 82 | New Baltimore | 12,072 | $354,733 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 83 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | $266,356 | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| 84 | Rochester | 12,934 | $486,537 | -0.0% | 1.5% |
| 85 | Sault Ste. Marie | 13,335 | $156,408 | -0.3% | 3.4% |
| 86 | Harper Woods | 15,116 | $153,570 | -0.6% | -4.0% |
| 87 | Wixom | 17,295 | $384,492 | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 88 | Owosso | 14,632 | $183,751 | -0.2% | 1.0% |
| 89 | Fraser | 14,583 | $234,792 | -0.1% | 0.3% |
| 90 | Berkley | 15,149 | $314,815 | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| 91 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 16,094 | $349,101 | -0.5% | 0.3% |
| 92 | Traverse City | 15,593 | $437,525 | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 93 | Grandville | 16,356 | $353,731 | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| 94 | Mount Clemens | 15,511 | $175,694 | -0.4% | -0.7% |
| 95 | Hazel Park | 14,963 | $155,502 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 96 | Wayne | 17,310 | $172,173 | -0.6% | -0.8% |
| 97 | Trenton | 18,125 | $239,684 | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| 98 | Monroe | 20,320 | $214,283 | -0.0% | -0.4% |
| 99 | Ferndale | 19,190 | $250,328 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 100 | Adrian | 20,395 | $185,079 | -0.5% | 0.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 153 Michigan cities cleared the filters.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Michigan for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Michigan. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 692 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Michigan are Dundee, Gladstone, New Haven, Davison, Kingsford, Allegan, Utica, Grosse Pointe, Springfield, and Eaton Rapids.
So if we could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places To Buy A House In Michigan FAQs
What is the best city in Michigan to buy a house?
Dundee is the best place to buy a house in Michigan for 2026. Its population is growing, home values are rising, and the median home still costs $286,249. Gladstone and New Haven are next on the list.
What are the best cities to buy a home in Michigan?
The best cities to buy a house in Michigan are Dundee, Gladstone, New Haven, Davison, Kingsford, Allegan, Utica, Grosse Pointe, Springfield, and Eaton Rapids. Only 153 of the 692 places in Michigan cleared our filters on growth and home prices.
How much does a house cost in Dundee?
The median home value in Dundee is $286,249, versus $259,857 across Michigan. Across the full top ten, the median home runs $266,594.
How do you pick the best places to buy a home in Michigan?
We look for Michigan places where the population is growing, home prices are climbing, and homes are still cheap relative to the state average, using Census American Community Survey data. Cities that hit all three get the highest Buy Index scores.
Is this a guarantee home values will go up?
No. This is not investment advice — just where the data points to potential value. The Buy Index says these markets look healthier than most of Michigan, not that any single house is a good deal.
