Cost Of Living in South Haven, MI

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	South Haven	Michigan	National
Cost of living	104	89	100
Goods & Services	88	93	100
Groceries	98	99	100
Health care	84	93	100
Housing	127	74	100
Transportation	96	97	100
Utilities	107	101	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in South Haven is 16% higher than the Michigan average
The cost of living in South Haven is 4% higher than the national average
South Haven housing is 27% higher than the national average
Michigan general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Michigan state income tax is 64% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$74,603	$6,217	$1,741	$2,238
Renters	$30,897	$2,575	$721	$927

A good way to judge both the affordability of the housing and the cost of living in South Haven is by simply calculating the maximum that should be spent on housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The plan is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. South Haven has a median income of about $74,603 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a maximum of $1,741 should be spent on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $30,897. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $721 on all rental costs if they want to maintain a non-impoverished standard of living.

Michigan Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Michigan	6%	6%

Michigan Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Michigan	4.25%	4.25%

Goods & Services

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.25	$24.26	20.6%
Beauty Salon	$26.42	$45.56	42.0%
Toothpaste	$3.59	$3.70	3.0%
Shampoo	$1.14	$1.28	11.0%
Movie	$8.35	$12.13	31.2%
Bowling	$16.07	$18.00	10.7%

Groceries

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.62	$5.84	13.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.38	$1.57	12.3%
Milk	$4.65	$4.67	0.4%
Potatoes	$4.58	$4.93	7.2%
Pizza	$11.14	$12.09	7.8%
Beer	$9.06	$10.41	12.9%

Health Care

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$74.50	$125.68	40.7%
Doctor	$121.31	$135.78	10.7%
Dentist	$112.00	$113.29	1.1%
Ibuprofen	$10.34	$10.65	2.9%
Lipitor	$490.47	$468.60	4.7%

Housing

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$274,000.00	$184,700.00	48.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,416.13	$2,346.69	39.7%
Apartment Rent	$744.00	$949.00	21.6%

Transportation

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.34	$3.46	3.4%
Tire Balancing	$54.56	$59.92	9.0%

Utilities

Item	South Haven	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$205.85	$193.99	6.1%
Phone	$184.44	$192.25	4.1%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Lawrence, MI	918	80	20.1%
Hartford, MI	2,588	81	19.4%
Bangor, MI	2,135	81	18.7%
Watervliet, MI	2,082	83	17.4%
Fennville, MI	1,939	84	15.8%
South Haven, MI	4,340	104	3.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Tontitown, AR	4,341	107	6.5%
Garwood, NJ	4,341	136	35.7%
Glassport, PA	4,338	86	14.3%
Jourdanton, TX	4,338	87	13.0%
Berryville, VA	4,338	124	24.0%
South Haven, MI	4,340	104	3.6%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in South Haven, MI