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.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Michigan For 2026
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Michigan reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Michigan
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- Best Places To Retire In Michigan
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Michigan For 2026
/10
Population: 5,744
Median Home Price: $286,248
Population Change: 2.9%
Home Price Change: -0.3%
More on Dundee: Data | Movers
/10
/10
Population: 6,475
Median Home Price: $308,843
Population Change: 2.1%
Home Price Change: -0.7%
More on New Haven: Data | Movers
/10
5. Kingsford
/10
Population: 5,124
Median Home Price: $146,082
Population Change: -0.3%
Home Price Change: -0.0%
More on Kingsford: Movers
/10
Population: 5,172
Median Home Price: $279,562
Population Change: -0.2%
Home Price Change: 1.8%
More on Allegan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,180
Median Home Price: $253,467
Population Change: -0.1%
Home Price Change: 0.2%
More on Utica: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,541
Median Home Price: $469,115
Population Change: -0.4%
Home Price Change: 1.8%
More on Grosse Pointe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,269
Median Home Price: $419,638
Population Change: -0.5%
Home Price Change: 0.1%
More on Springfield: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,183
Median Home Price: $250,599
Population Change: -0.3%
Home Price Change: -0.2%
More on Eaton Rapids: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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 another 11. 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 the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 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.
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 0 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’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Michigan
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundee | 5,744 | $286,248 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2 | Gladstone | 5,253 | $204,038 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 3 | New Haven | 6,475 | $308,843 | 2.1% | -0.7% |
| 4 | Davison | 5,076 | $253,626 | -0.1% | 1.1% |
| 5 | Kingsford | 5,124 | $146,082 | -0.3% | -0.0% |
| 6 | Allegan | 5,172 | $279,562 | -0.2% | 1.8% |
| 7 | Utica | 5,180 | $253,467 | -0.1% | 0.2% |
| 8 | Grosse Pointe | 5,541 | $469,115 | -0.4% | 1.8% |
| 9 | Springfield | 5,269 | $419,638 | -0.5% | 0.1% |
| 10 | Eaton Rapids | 5,183 | $250,599 | -0.3% | -0.2% |
| 11 | St. Clair | 5,585 | $311,687 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 12 | Chelsea | 5,426 | $411,816 | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| 13 | Frankenmuth | 5,157 | $315,290 | 1.0% | -0.5% |
| 14 | Swartz Creek | 5,853 | $245,862 | -0.1% | 1.6% |
| 15 | Zeeland | 5,665 | $382,236 | -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 | $588,076 | -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 | $320,380 | -0.1% | 1.1% |
| 24 | Huntington Woods | 6,328 | $537,207 | 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 | $242,299 | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 30 | St. Louis | 7,367 | $162,578 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 31 | Hastings | 7,520 | $235,810 | 0.1% | 3.3% |
| 32 | Iron Mountain | 7,518 | $182,104 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 33 | Hudsonville | 7,769 | $417,203 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| 34 | River Rouge | 7,008 | $85,479 | -1.2% | 2.6% |
| 35 | Three Rivers | 7,943 | $222,656 | 0.1% | 3.6% |
| 36 | Brighton | 7,688 | $432,666 | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| 37 | Houghton | 8,474 | $262,334 | 1.6% | -1.8% |
| 38 | Grand Ledge | 7,804 | $296,332 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 39 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | $285,256 | -0.1% | -0.6% |
| 40 | Flushing | 8,284 | $235,732 | -0.5% | 0.5% |
| 41 | St. Johns | 7,715 | $286,181 | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| 42 | Hillsdale | 8,002 | $199,153 | -0.1% | 1.8% |
| 43 | Menominee | 8,326 | $167,969 | -0.5% | -4.8% |
| 44 | Ludington | 7,676 | $298,512 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 45 | Center Line | 8,463 | $166,336 | 0.2% | -2.5% |
| 46 | St. Joseph | 7,986 | $328,306 | 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 | $275,132 | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| 51 | Lapeer | 9,082 | $261,367 | 0.3% | -2.6% |
| 52 | Alma | 9,396 | $162,539 | -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 | $471,424 | -0.2% | 1.5% |
| 56 | Saline | 9,006 | $465,110 | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| 57 | Ecorse | 9,064 | $81,038 | -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 | $151,454 | -0.8% | -1.8% |
| 61 | Flat Rock | 10,340 | $257,472 | -0.7% | 0.3% |
| 62 | Alpena | 10,154 | $187,286 | -0.2% | 1.4% |
| 63 | Melvindale | 12,554 | $139,401 | -0.4% | -1.6% |
| 64 | Big Rapids | 8,477 | $215,284 | 8.0% | 1.7% |
| 65 | Beverly Hills | 10,524 | $587,950 | 0.2% | 4.9% |
| 66 | Cadillac | 10,445 | $228,846 | 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 | $391,796 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 72 | Grosse Pointe Park | 11,319 | $502,194 | -0.7% | 1.0% |
| 73 | Niles | 11,803 | $204,970 | -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 | $467,291 | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 77 | East Grand Rapids | 11,445 | $664,183 | 0.4% | 3.7% |
| 78 | Clawson | 11,374 | $286,025 | 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 | $354,732 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 83 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | $266,355 | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| 84 | Rochester | 12,934 | $486,536 | -0.0% | 1.5% |
| 85 | Sault Ste. Marie | 13,335 | $156,407 | -0.3% | 3.4% |
| 86 | Harper Woods | 15,116 | $153,570 | -0.6% | -4.0% |
| 87 | Wixom | 17,295 | $384,491 | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 88 | Owosso | 14,632 | $183,751 | -0.2% | 1.0% |
| 89 | Fraser | 14,583 | $234,791 | -0.1% | 0.3% |
| 90 | Berkley | 15,149 | $314,815 | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| 91 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 16,094 | $349,100 | -0.5% | 0.3% |
| 92 | Traverse City | 15,593 | $437,525 | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 93 | Grandville | 16,356 | $353,730 | 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 | $239,683 | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| 98 | Monroe | 20,320 | $214,282 | -0.0% | -0.4% |
| 99 | Ferndale | 19,190 | $250,327 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 100 | Adrian | 20,395 | $185,078 | -0.5% | 0.8% |