The 10 Most Expensive Counties to Buy a Home in Michigan (2026 Data)

Michigan's most expensive home markets are spread across two very different economic geographies: affluent suburban Southeast Michigan and northern Michigan's resort corridor. Using Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) data, here is where home prices are highest across the state — and what is actually driving each market.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Counties

These counties rank highest on Zillow's Home Value Index, which estimates the value of the typical owner-occupied home in the middle tier of the market:

• Leelanau County — estimated $500,000–$650,000+ ZHVI: Michigan's most expensive county per square foot. The Leelanau Peninsula attracts second-home buyers, retirees, and remote workers from throughout the Midwest and beyond. Leland, Northport, Lake Leelanau, and Suttons Bay are waterfront communities with intensely limited supply and strong year-round demand that has accelerated since 2020.
• Emmet County (Petoskey/Harbor Springs) — estimated $400,000–$500,000: Harbor Springs ranks among the most expensive communities in the state for home prices per square foot. The Petoskey-Harbor Springs area draws ultra-affluent summer residents and retirees. Ski resorts and Little Traverse Bay waterfront command premium prices.
• Benzie County (Sleeping Bear area) — estimated $380,000–$450,000: Proximity to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Crystal Mountain resort has made Benzie one of Michigan's fastest-appreciating counties over the past decade. Frankfort and Beulah are small communities with outsized demand.
• Washtenaw County — $418,402 ZHVI (April 2026): Michigan's most expensive tracked county. Ann Arbor's combination of University of Michigan employment, high-income professionals, and constrained supply produces sustained premium pricing. Washtenaw housing data
• Livingston County — $399,793: The highest home values of Michigan Signals tracked counties outside Washtenaw. A commuter county with high income and no large city holding prices down. Brighton and Hartland Township are among the pricier communities in the western Metro Detroit area. Livingston housing data
• Ottawa County — $398,557: Surprising to some: a manufacturing-anchored county that has seen extraordinary appreciation. The Holland metro's tight supply, strong employment, and desirable lakefront communities push values near $400,000. Ottawa housing data
• Grand Traverse County (Traverse City) — estimated $380,000–$440,000: Michigan's largest northern resort market. Traverse City has grown into a genuine small-city economy with healthcare, technology, tourism, and a strong food and beverage sector. Values have risen sharply since 2019.
• Oakland County — $369,608: Michigan's most economically significant large county. Corporate headquarters, auto tech, healthcare, and professional services create high-income demand for the suburbs of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Rochester Hills. Oakland housing data
• Kent County — $356,588: Grand Rapids has become Michigan's most dynamically growing large metro, and home values have followed. Kent housing data
• Antrim County (Elk Rapids/Bellaire area) — estimated $330,000–$390,000: Small northern Michigan county with a large second-home and retiree market. Elk Rapids and Bellaire attract buyers who can't afford Leelanau or Emmet but want northern Michigan lakefront access.

Two Distinct Market Types

Michigan's most expensive counties fall into two clear categories. Metro economic anchors — Washtenaw, Oakland, Livingston, Kent, Ottawa — are expensive because high-income employment drives housing demand. These are places where people live to work and build careers. Resort and second-home markets — Leelanau, Emmet, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Antrim — are expensive because of lifestyle and recreational demand, often from buyers whose primary income comes from elsewhere. These two market types respond to very different economic conditions: metro markets track employment and income; resort markets track the wealth and preferences of the upper Midwest's professional class.

What It Costs to Buy in These Markets

At a $400,000 home price, a conventional purchase with 10% down requires a $40,000 down payment. At current mortgage rates of approximately 6.5–7% (mid-2026), monthly principal and interest on a $360,000 mortgage runs roughly $2,300–$2,400. Adding property taxes, homeowner's insurance, and maintenance typically brings total monthly housing costs to $3,000–$3,500.

To keep those costs at 30% of gross income, a household would need approximately $120,000–$140,000 annual income. Among Michigan Signals tracked counties, only Livingston ($103,737) comes close to that threshold at the median. Washtenaw's median of $84,704 is a significant gap below what's needed to comfortably own a median-priced Washtenaw home. The math means most buyers in these markets either bring substantial equity from a prior sale, have above-median incomes, or accept higher housing cost burdens.

Data Sources

• Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI, April 2026): Middle-tier home value estimate, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Michigan Signals tracks 10 counties; estimates for non-tracked counties are based on Zillow county-level data. Zillow Research data
• Census SAIPE (2023): Median household income for affordability context. Census SAIPE