Living in Gaines, MI
Suburb in Michigan
Gaines is a suburb in Michigan, home to about 29,000 people, with 651,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Gaines a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.1× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 3 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Easy flying: GRR is 7 mi away
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Smaller job market: about 651,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 33% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Gaines ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Gaines: common questions
What is the cost of living in Gaines?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $394k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,980 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 96, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Gaines?
Michigan collects about $1,246 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.98% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Gaines safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.1× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Gaines?
Public schools in Gaines test above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 19 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Gaines?
Gaines has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 33°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 78″ of snow a year.
Does Gaines get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.48 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Gaines?
The nearest major airport is GRR, about 7 mi away.
How Gaines scores
Each bar compares Gaines with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Gaines
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Michigan.
Is Gaines right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.