Based on the 2016 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS2016), this study examines the spatial distribution patterns of core family members and housing location choices of rural-urban migrant families. Migrant families have formed diversified living arrangements such as family reunification with homeownership in the destination city, family reunification without homeownership in the destination city, urban-rural split and urban-town split living arrangements. Those with higher human capital, richer family resources and an urge for a marital home are more likely to purchase housing in either the destination city or the hukou registered hometown town or city. Migrant families in super megacities and those with a higher level of economic development in their hukou registered place are more likely to seek housing opportunities in their hukou registered hometown town or city. Under the constraints of reality, migrant families optimize collective familial benefits by allocating resources, such as family members and housing, across diverse spatial domains. This strategy facilitates the urbanization of migrants into cities while also offering them the option to return to their rural hometowns. This implies a multi-stage and step-wise chain urbanization process, which requires a family relay to achieve family reunification and citizenization.