Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Michigan

You think about moving to Michigan but need more information about overall quality of life, living costs, housing, safety, public infrastructure, entertainment, job market, income level and much more so you can make a profound decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Michigan in the following article.

Living in Michigan – Overview

Advantages of Living in Michigan

1. Living costs in Michigan are pretty low
2. Rents are still affordable for many people in Michigan
3. Many people are still able to buy a home in Michigan
4. Getting a mortgage in Michigan is rather easy
5. Rather low overall financial pressure for people moving to Michigan
6. You don’t have to make a really high income to afford a decent lifestyle
7. Many people in Michigan can still live the American dream
8. People in Michigan may be less career-focused than in other states
9. You can meet many friendly people in Michigan
10. People in the big cities of Michigan are often open and tolerant
11. People in Michigan are genuine and real
12. You may be able to make many friends for a lifetime
13. Michigan is a rather relaxed state
14. Traffic jams are not a big problem in Michigan yet
15. Easy to find a parking lot in most regions of Michigan
16. Many parks and other green spaces in the big cities of Michigan
17. Many nice nature reserves and national parks
18. Living in Michigan gives you the incentive to spend lots of time outdoors
19. People in Michigan are often able to exercise through nature activities
20. Pretty decent air quality in many regions of Michigan
21. People in Michigan can enjoy real seasons
22. You can live a pretty original life in Michigan
23. Michigan may be a great place to live self-sufficient
24. You can teach your kids a lot about nature in Michigan
25. Decent schools and colleges in the urban parts of Michigan
26. Decent supply of material goods
27. You find many decent bars in the big cities of Michigan
28. Decent art scene in Detroit or other big cities
29. You may be able to get around by train or bus in the big cities
30. You can enjoy big city life and beautiful nature at the same time
31. Easy to get to different regions of Michigan
32. Decent internet connection in most parts of Michigan
33. Solid medical infrastructure in the big cities of Michigan
34. Michigan may be an interesting place to retire
35. Michigan may be a good state to study
36. Michigan may still be underrated
37. Michigan offers a lot for many different age groups
38. Michigan is not congested by tourists yet
39. You can make many nice day trips in the Michigan region

Living costs in Michigan are pretty low

One advantage of living in Michigan is that living costs are rather low compared to many other regions in the US and while people living in San Diego and other more expensive places often have to spend lots of money on various things of life, you may be able to afford much more for the same budget in most regions of Michigan.

Rents are still affordable for many people in Michigan

You should also know that also rents are pretty low even in the big cities of Michigan and this means that you don’t have to spend lots of money on housing and may have more money for other nice things or to invest so you may be at lower risk of suffering from old-age poverty compared to people moving to Washington D.C. or other places where people often have to spend far more money on housing.

Many people are still able to buy a home in Michigan

Not only rents are pretty low, but also property prices are still affordable and many people are still able to buy a decent home in many parts of Michigan while this might just be close to impossible for people living in regions where average home prices are multiple times higher.

Getting a mortgage in Michigan is rather easy

Thanks to rather low property prices, many people in Michigan also have a rather easy time saving up enough equity for making a down payment and getting a mortgage may therefore also be pretty easy for them while people moving to San Francisco or other much more expensive places may really struggle to get a mortgage due to extremely high property prices.

Rather low overall financial pressure for people moving to Michigan

Since property prices, rents and living costs are rather low in most parts of Michigan, also overall financial pressure for people moving to Michigan may be far lower compared to people moving to more expensive regions where fixed costs are much higher.

You don’t have to make a really high income to afford a decent lifestyle

Another upside to living in Michigan is that thanks to rather low price levels, you also don’t have to make really good money to afford a decent lifestyle in this region and you may be able to afford many nice things for a budget that would not even be enough to cover your fixed costs in much more expensive regions and you may therefore not have to worry about financial problems as much as people living in many other more expensive places.

Many people in Michigan can still live the American dream

Thanks to pretty low living and housing costs, many people in Michigan are still able to live the classic American dream, including owning a nice home, a decent car and so on while this will be almost impossible for the average person living in San José or other much more expensive places where people often even struggle to pay their basic expenses and are not able to afford any luxury.

People in Michigan may be less career-focused than in other states

Another benefit of living in Michigan is that you will also find many people that are just not as career-focused as in many other regions and those people will often take more time to help you out on various occasions of daily life and it may therefore also be easier to get in touch with people compared to regions where people often just rush from one meeting to the other.

You can meet many friendly people in Michigan

Moving to Michigan can also be great since you can meet many friendly people who will support you during your first days and weeks when everything is new to you and you can really benefit from this support since it will help you become a valued member of society rather quickly.

People in the big cities of Michigan are often open and tolerant

You will also meet many open and tolerant people in the big cities of Michigan and by talking to those people, you may be able to learn quite a lot for your own life since you will feel welcome no matter where you come from but can also experience many different lifestyles at the same time and this can really help you expand your horizon in the long run.

People in Michigan are genuine and real

Since many people in Michigan are genuine and honest, you will also be able to really rely on your social connections in this region while you may not be able to trust in people as much in regions where people are usually much shallower and may care more about your stuff than about your character.

You may be able to make many friends for a lifetime

Since you will be able to meet many honest and real people, you will also be able to make many friends for a lifetime and this can be really great since those people will often help you push through the most difficult periods of your life and their emotional support may give you enough strength to carry on with your life.

Michigan is a rather relaxed state

Another advantage of moving to Michigan is that it is a rather relaxed state where you can meet many laid-back people so you can have a great time and you may just feel like being on a long vacation on a daily basis, at least if you surround yourself with people who aspire to the same relaxed lifestyle as you might do.

Traffic jams are not a big problem in Michigan yet

Apart from the Detroit metropolitan area, you will not get stuck in many traffic jams in Michigan most of the time and you will therefore have much more time to spend on nicer things while people moving to Los Angeles or other more crowded regions will get stuck in traffic jams on a regular basis.

Easy to find a parking lot in most regions of Michigan

While finding a parking lot may be a challenge close to the city center of the big cities of Michigan, you will have a rather easy time finding a parking lot outside the big cities and will have almost freedom of choice regarding where you want to park your car.

Many parks and other green spaces in the big cities of Michigan

Another upside to moving to Michigan is that you will also have many green spaces in the big cities and this can be great since you can sit down on a bench in parks during lunch break and after work so you can relax from your stressful job and reload your batteries for the challenging times that may still lie ahead of you.

Many nice nature reserves and national parks

You will also find many nature reserves and national parks close to the big cities of Michigan and you can therefore spend lots of time in beautiful nature where you can relax and also have a great time with your favorite people.

Living in Michigan gives you the incentive to spend lots of time outdoors

Since there are many nice places to visit in nature, you will also have the incentive of spending lots of time outdoors and this can be great since you can get lots of oxygen so your brain and body may be able to work in the best possible manner and you may also get into a much better mood compared to people who are just sitting indoors all day long.

People in Michigan are often able to exercise through nature activities

Since you can go hiking, fishing and do many active things in nature, you can also burn lots of calories in a natural manner and you may therefore be able to stay fit and in shape without having to go to the gym on a regular basis as many people in our society often do.

Pretty decent air quality in many regions of Michigan

Outside of the big cities, you will also find many regions with pretty decent air quality in Michigan and this may not only improve your overall quality of life but may also make it less likely to suffer from serious health conditions in the long run.

People in Michigan can enjoy real seasons

Since you can experience warm summers and pretty cold winters, you can also enjoy real seasons in most parts of Michigan and this enables you to go swimming in summer and skiing in winter and may make your life much more interesting compared to people moving to El Paso or other regions where it is often warm all year long.

You can live a pretty original life in Michigan

Since you will be surrounded by beautiful nature, you can also live a pretty original life and you can really go back to the roots and live as our ancestors did centuries ago for a certain period of time so you can experience what it really means to live without modern technologies and by going back to your normal life after a while, you will really appreciate all the nice things we have right now and may become a much happier person in general.

Michigan may be a great place to live self-sufficient

Since land prices in Michigan are pretty low, you may also be able to buy a large piece of land at an affordable price and grow your own fruits and veggies, raise cattle and other farm animals and live a self-sufficient lifestyle so you can become independent of society and may be able to feel free on a completely different level.

You can teach your kids a lot about nature in Michigan

Michigan may also be a great state for your kids to grow up since you can make many nice experiences and can also teach your kids quite a lot about nature and why it is important to protect our planet as best as possible so they can turn into responsible grownups later on and can spread the message of saving our planet and preserving it for the next generations.

Decent schools and colleges in the urban parts of Michigan

Another benefit of moving to Michigan is that you will find many solid schools and colleges in the big cities and you can therefore make sure that you and your kids get decent education and can prepare yourself for the challenging job market conditions in the future.

Decent supply of material goods

You also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods in most regions of Michigan since overall supply of goods is pretty decent and you will find most things you need for daily life pretty close to your home.

You find many decent bars in the big cities of Michigan

As long as you move to the big cities of Michigan, you will also find more than enough bars where you can hang out with other like-minded people and can discuss what’s going on in the world so you may get a different perspective on life and may be able to expand your knowledge in the long run.

Decent art scene in Detroit or other big cities

While it might be hard to find a decent art scene in the rural parts of Michigan, you will still find many artists in the big cities and if you are an artist or just interested in art, you will find many like-minded people to hang out with so you can improve your own skills quite a lot.

You may be able to get around by train or bus in the big cities

As long as you move to the biggest cities of Michigan and also live close enough to the city center, you may also be able to get around by bus or train in a decent manner and may not urgently need a car so you may be able to do good for our environment and may also be able to save lots of money on gas in the long run.

You can enjoy big city life and beautiful nature at the same time

Michigan also provides a great mix of city life and nature and you can therefore find a job in one of the big cities and can still enjoy nature activities not far away from your home so you can stay balanced and get the best out of both worlds.

Easy to get to different regions of Michigan

Since there are many big airports in Michigan, you will also have a rather easy time traveling the world and your loved ones from other parts of the US will also have a rather easy time visiting you since they may get to your home without having to deal with layovers or unpleasant road conditions.

Decent internet connection in most parts of Michigan

Most people in Michigan also have a pretty decent internet connection and this can be great since you may be able to work from home and can also stay in touch with the world in general and can also get the latest news in real-time so you may be able to adjust important decisions accordingly.

Solid medical infrastructure in the big cities of Michigan

As long as you move to the major cities of Michigan, you can also be pretty sure to find property medical treatment and as long as you have enough money, you will find many great experts who will be able to treat your health condition in the best possible manner.

Michigan may be an interesting place to retire

Since there are many things you can do in nature and living and housing costs are pretty low, Michigan may also be a great place to retire, especially for people who don’t have a high pension but still want to live a decent lifestyle and don’t want to deal with old-age poverty as much as they would have to do in more expensive regions.

Michigan may be a good state to study

Michigan may not only be an interesting place to retire but it may also be a great state for students since most regions are pretty cheap and students who often don’t have a high budget will be able to live in this region at much lower costs compared to students in NYC or other much more costly places.

Michigan may still be underrated

Since you can enjoy lots of beautiful nature and many other nice things while living and housing costs are still pretty low, Michigan may also be an underrated place and by moving to Michigan now, you may be able to reap many benefits at an affordable price while people in other regions may have to spend much more to live similar lifestyles.

Michigan offers a lot for many different age groups

While retirees can enjoy lots of beautiful nature, young people can enjoy their lives in the big cities and there is something for every age group in the state of Michigan and different generations also often live together in harmony and help out each other so everyone can benefit from this arrangement in the long run.

Michigan is not congested by tourists yet

Since Michigan is not the most popular place for tourists, you will also not run into large groups of tourists on a regular basis and may have more public space for yourself so you will be able to hang out on your own during times you just don’t want to have company and want to think about your life without getting distracted by other people.

You can make many nice day trips in the Michigan region

Since there are so many nice places to see in Michigan nature, this also gives you the incentive to make many nice day trips with your loved ones and this enables you to make many nice memories for a lifetime.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Michigan.

Yet, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in Michigan so you can get a more profound picture of reality and will be better able to decide whether you still want to move to Michigan or rather want to live in Arizona or other interesting regions instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Michigan

1. Michigan is not the safest state
2. Social problems in many parts of Michigan are about to get worse
3. High unemployment rate in Michigan
4. Hard to find a good job in Michigan
5. Overall income level in Michigan is pretty low
6. Poor public transport in the rural parts of Michigan
7. You may miss good medical infrastructure outside of the big cities
8. Michigan may not be the greatest place for party people
9. You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Michigan
10. Many young people consider leaving certain parts of Michigan
11. Michigan may not be the most exciting state
12. You may get bored with the Michigan lifestyle in the long run
13. Many dodgy districts in the big cities of Michigan
14. Michigan may not be the most popular state
15. Your loved ones may worry about your well-being
16. Moving to Michigan may not make sense if you don’t love nature
17. Not many really big cities in Michigan
18. Hard to find decent education in the rural parts of Michigan
19. Natural disasters may become a serious problem in Michigan
20. Costs for homeowners insurance may increase quite a lot
21. Michigan doesn’t attract as many ambitious people as many other states
22. Hard to build a strong business network in Michigan
23. You may have a hard time climbing the corporate ladder
24. Michigan doesn’t have a coastline
25. Winters are too cold for many people in Michigan
26. Michigan is a rather small state
27. Culinary influences in Michigan may not be as diverse as in many other regions
28. Many people in Michigan live a rather unhealthy lifestyle
29. You may miss fancy shopping opportunities in Michigan
30. Not many great museums outside of the big cities of Michigan
31. Rather questionable outlook for the state of Michigan

Michigan is not the safest state

One problem with living in Michigan is that crime rates are rather high and it is just not the safest place, especially in the big cities where people often no longer feel welcome or safe in certain districts which may lower overall quality of life quite a lot in the long run.

Social problems in many parts of Michigan are about to get worse

Poverty and other social problems are also quite common in many regions of Michigan and you should therefore be ready to see many unpleasant things and you may suffer from poverty yourself if you are unlucky or don’t have proper education to find a decent job.

High unemployment rate in Michigan

You should also be aware of the fact that unemployment rate in Michigan is far above national average and this means that you may have to worry about losing your job quite often and you may therefore have a hard time planning your financial future in a sound manner.

Hard to find a good job in Michigan

If you don’t hold a fancy degree or have other skills urgently needed in the job market, you may also have a hard time finding and keeping decent jobs in the long run since there are just not many great jobs for low-qualified people in this region and many people therefore have to deal with serious long-term unemployment.

Overall income level in Michigan is pretty low

Another downside to living in Michigan is that the average income is pretty low and if your goal is to make as much money as possible for your job so you can become wealthy or even rich at a rather young age, Michigan may not be the best place to work for you as an employee.

Poor public transport in the rural parts of Michigan

You should also know that public transport is pretty poor outside the big cities of Michigan and in case you are not able to operate a car in a safe manner anymore, you may just not be mobile enough to get around in an efficient manner and this may lower your overall quality of life quite a lot.

You may miss good medical infrastructure outside of the big cities

While you may be able to find solid doctors and hospitals in the big cities of Michigan, you may not have this luxury in the rural parts of the state and in case you need urgent medical support, doctors may be too late to help you and you may even lose your life due to that if you are unlucky.

Michigan may not be the greatest place for party people

Another disadvantage of living in Michigan is that it may just not be the greatest state for party people since the selection of fancy bars and clubs will be rather limited, especially in the rural regions of Michigan where you may only find some small pubs that are not really exciting most of the time.

You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Michigan

While you may be able to meet many interesting people in the big cities of Michigan, you may still miss cultural diversity outside those cities and may just not be able to experience alternative lifestyles and ways of life as you would often be able to do in more open regions.

Many young people consider leaving certain parts of Michigan

Since there are not many really interesting things to do in the rural regions of Michigan, many young people also consider leaving those regions and by moving to those regions, you may only be surrounded by old people and may get frustrated with your life pretty quickly, especially if you are still young and search for a place where you can hang out with many other people of your age.

Michigan may not be the most exciting state

While there are many nice things to do in nature, Michigan may just not be the greatest place to move to if you are the type of person who needs action and adrenaline all day and night long. In such a case, you may be better off moving to Las Vegas or other more vibrant places.

You may get bored with the Michigan lifestyle in the long run

Since you may just not find many really exciting things to do, especially in the rural parts of Michigan, you may also get bored with your life in Michigan in the long run and may consider moving to a different place rather quickly.

Many dodgy districts in the big cities of Michigan

Another problem with moving to Michigan is that you will also find many dodgy neighborhoods in the big cities where you may just not feel safe at all and in case you get lost in one of those districts and meet the wrong people at the wrong time, you may get into serious trouble.

Michigan may not be the most popular state

While Michigan is well-known all over the US, it is still not the most popular state and your loved ones may not understand your decision of moving to Michigan and you may therefore also have to deal with many snarky comments in this regard.

Your loved ones may worry about your well-being

Since many big cities in Michigan have to deal with pretty high crime rates, your family and friends may also worry about your well-being quite often and moving to the wrong parts of Michigan may therefore also have an adverse effect on your loved ones and may not only impact your own life.

Moving to Michigan may not make sense if you don’t love nature

Before moving to Michigan, you should also ask yourself whether you are the type of person who loves nature or not since if this is not the case, you may just not get happy with leisure activities and the overall lifestyle in this region.

Not many really big cities in Michigan

You should also know that while you have Detroit and some other bigger cities, there are still not many really big cities in Detroit and you may therefore miss real city life unless you move to the Detroit metropolitan area.

Hard to find decent education in the rural parts of Michigan

While you may find decent schools and universities in the big cities of Michigan, it may be hard to find solid education in the rural regions and you may therefore have to drive long distances to bring your kids to and pick them up from school.

Natural disasters may become a serious problem in Michigan

Another downside to moving to Michigan is that natural disasters may become quite common in the future due to climate change and in case you are really unlucky, those natural disasters may not only destroy your home but may even take away your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Costs for homeowners insurance may increase quite a lot

Since natural disasters may become more common in Michigan, also costs of homeowners insurance are about to increase significantly which may make living in this area much more expensive than it is right now and fewer people may be able to afford to live in this region.

Michigan doesn’t attract as many ambitious people as many other states

There is also a tendency that not as many ambitious people think about moving to Michigan since there are just not the same great job prospects as in many other regions and talented people often rather move to Oakland or other regions where they can make far more money and have better job outlooks in general.

Hard to build a strong business network in Michigan

Since many talented and ambitious people are leaving Michigan and unemployment rate is rather high, you may also have a pretty hard time building a strong business network in this region and this may slow down your career progress quite a lot.

You may have a hard time climbing the corporate ladder

Since many people are not able to build a strong business network in many regions of Michigan, climbing the corporate ladder may also be much more difficult and it may take you far longer to take the next step in your career than in other regions.

Michigan doesn’t have a coastline

Another disadvantage of moving to Michigan is that the state doesn’t have a coastline and while people living in Maine or other coastal regions can go surfing on a regular basis, you will just not have the same luxury in the Michigan region which may lower your overall quality of life quite a lot in the long run.

Winters are too cold for many people in Michigan

While cold winters allow you to experience real seasons in Michigan, some people out there just can’t stand cold weather at all and if you belong to this group of people, you may rather want to move to Dallas or other regions where it is pretty warm all year long.

Michigan is a rather small state

You should also not forget that Michigan is a rather small state and you may therefore not have as many exciting things to experience as people living in California or other bigger regions.

Culinary influences in Michigan may not be as diverse as in many other regions

While you may find many delicious foods in the urban parts of Michigan, culinary diversity may be rather limited in the rural regions and you may therefore not be able to try as many great and interesting foods as in more culinary diverse regions where you can try more foods from all over the world.

Many people in Michigan live a rather unhealthy lifestyle

You should also know that many people in Michigan live a pretty unhealthy lifestyle, including eating lots of fast food and if you move to this region, chances are you will adopt some of those unhealthy characteristics into your own life which may hurt your health quite a lot in the long run.

You may miss fancy shopping opportunities in Michigan

You should also not expect to find as many great shopping opportunities in most parts of Michigan as you would in many big metropolitan regions and in case you are a shopping queen and want to follow fashion trends on a regular basis, you may be better off moving to other places where fashion often plays a much bigger role.

Not many great museums outside of the big cities of Michigan

While you will find some nice museums in the big cities of Michigan, you will have a hard time finding good museums in the rural regions of this state and may not get happy with the rather limited selection in this regard.

Rather questionable outlook for the state of Michigan

Since Michigan has to deal with high crime rates, unemployment is a big problem and social cohesion is about to deteriorate in many regions, Michigan also has a rather questionable future outlook and it is hard to tell whether this state will become a more or less attractive place to live in the future which implies a high level of uncertainty for people moving to Michigan now.

Top 10 Moving To Michigan Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Michigan A Good Place To Live?

While moving to Michigan can make a lot of sense since living and housing costs are pretty low and you can also enjoy many nice things in nature, you should also keep in mind that unemployment and crime rates are pretty high, income levels are pretty low and Michigan has to deal with many social problems.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Michigan so you can make the best possible decision according to your individual preferences.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Michigan – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Michigan, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Connecticut

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Massachusetts

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Kentucky

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MI

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.