Living in Lansing, MI
Mid-size city in Michigan
Lansing is a mid-size city in Michigan, home to about 113,000 people, with 366,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Lansing a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $191k and rents for $1,630 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
- Dog-friendly: 15 dog parks within 9 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 3 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Smaller job market: about 366,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 30% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Higher crime: violent crime is 2.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Lansing ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Lansing: common questions
What is the cost of living in Lansing?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $191k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,630 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 95, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Lansing?
Michigan collects about $1,246 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.16% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Lansing safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Lansing?
Lansing has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 33°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 50″ of snow a year.
Does Lansing 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 0.45 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Lansing?
The nearest major airport is GRR, about 50 mi away.
How Lansing scores
Each bar compares Lansing with the other 1143 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).
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Nearby
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Is Lansing right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.