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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.39° N · 85.41° W · GEOID 2674975

South Gull Lake

Kalamazoo County, Michigan · part of the Kalamazoo, MI metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_household_income

MichiganSouth Gull Lake, MISouth Gull LakeSouth Gull Lake

The short answer

South Gull Lake is home to 1,801 people. Median household income is $72,532 a year and median rent is $335 a month, 5.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $418,200, about 5.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$335
75% below the median place
Median household income
$72,532
10% below the median place
Median home value
$418,200
31% above the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
13% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about South Gull Lake

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 18.9% a year while rent rose -21%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 176 Michigan places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $3,666 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 176 Michigan places.
  • Median rent is $335 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 176 Michigan places.
  • 87% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 176 Michigan places.
  • 41% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 167 Michigan places.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 82 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to South Gull Lake

Kalamazoo County loses about 1.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,203
Moved out10,559
Net−356

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Van Buren County, MI906907−1
Calhoun County, MI848929−81
Allegan County, MI637632+5
Kent County, MI506691−185
St. Joseph County, MI394427−33
Oakland County, MI271288−17
Barry County, MI250249+1
Berrien County, MI312

Within Michigan, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MichiganOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$65K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Kalamazoo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Kalamazoo County report $58,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $65,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$13,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $335 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $4,001 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $418,200.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 41.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Frankenmuth, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$58,460
17% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.7%
15% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$65,371
7% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.3%9% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%15% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-1.7183% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$58,46017% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$65,3717% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $335, 75% below the median place.

South Gull Lake5.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$13,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
5.5%
73% below the median place
Home price to income
5.8x
52% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
6%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$70,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in South Gull Lake, $335 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in South Gull Lake.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to South Gull Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$4,001
114% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$10,001
206% above the median place
Vacant homes1
17.1%
142% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$33575% below
Rent to income15.5%73% below
Home price to income15.8x52% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure94.86% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,15828% below
HUD area median income4County figure$108,1001% above
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001206% above
Median home value1$418,20031% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.0%1% below
Homeownership181.6%23% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure52.1%3% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$4,001114% above
Vacant homes117.1%142% above
Median year built119820% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$144,134
260% above the median place
Works from home1
41.1%
230% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$72,53210% below
Income per person1$144,134260% above
Unemployment1County figure5.5%13% above
Average annual pay6County figure$68,2924% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.9%5% above
Jobs6County figure122,11919% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.7%18% above
Mean commute1County figure21 min17% below
Works from home141.1%230% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
87.5%
173% above the median place
Median age1
54.3
39% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,8016646th largest
Median age154.339% above
Bachelor's or higher187.5%173% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.210% below
Born abroad1County figure5.8%34% below
No health insurance1County figure4.7%27% below
Homes with broadband197.3%5% above
05

Life in South Gull Lake

58 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.5 −45%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k11.1 −0%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −90%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.7 −5%
Shops31.9 +5%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.8 −7%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.1 −5%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools11
91
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
34,151
above the median place (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11
17.2
12% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure91above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure34,151above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure17.212% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure19.75% below
Shops per 10k8County figure31.95% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.87% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.15% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k95.545% below
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k911.10% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.290% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure58346% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 57.1, 37% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached South Gull Lake. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk13
57.1
37% below the median place
Average temperature12
49°F
11% below the median place
January average low12
17°F
33% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSouth Gull LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature12County figure49°F11% below
Annual precipitation12County figure37.0 in16% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure81.712% below
Hurricane risk13County figure44.537% below
Tornado risk13County figure93.715% above
Wildfire risk13County figure36.640% below
Heat wave risk13County figure57.137% below
Median air quality index14County figure430% above
Good air days14County figure61.4%10% below
08

South Gull Lake in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 2% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 2% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$335/mo (2024)$370/mo$300 to $450/mo+1.7%
Median household income$188,750 (2024)$257,500$217,500 to $304,500+5.3%

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like South Gull Lake

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Frankenmuth, MI$851$85,433Compare
Saline, MI$1,054$88,346Compare
Shelburne, VT$1,439$109,583Compare
Douglass Hills, KY$1,353$78,482Compare
Douglass Hills, KYShelburne, VTSaline, MIFrankenmuth, MISouth Gull Lake, MISouth Gull LakeFrankenmuthSalineShelburneDouglass HillsSouth Gull LakeFrankenmuthSalineShelburneDouglass Hills

Common questions

Is South Gull Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 18.9% a year while rent rose -21%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 176 Michigan places. Owning with a mortgage costs about $3,666 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 176 Michigan places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is South Gull Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 5.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $418,200.

What salary do you need to live in South Gull Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $13,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to South Gull Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Frankenmuth, MI, Saline, MI, Shelburne, VT and Douglass Hills, KY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares South Gull Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for South Gull Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/south-gull-lake-michigan

Citytistics. “South Gull Lake, Michigan.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/south-gull-lake-michigan/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.