Cost of living in Grand Rapids: rent, homes and salary
The cost of living in Grand Rapids sits 4.5% under the US average: BEA's 2024 regional price parity (RPP) puts the Grand Rapids, MI metro area at 95.5, the US at 100, and housing alone at 86.6.
- Prices overall
- 95.5US = 100, BEA 2024
- Price level for housing
- 86.6. for rents, US = 100.
Cost of living index for Grand Rapids
A regional price parity lines up the cost of one basket of goods and services in a single place against the US average. That average is set at 100. Grand Rapids lies within the metro area called Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI, and BEA prices that whole area together. Housing (rents) sits furthest from the US average, at 86.6, or 13.4% below the US.
| Price level, US = 100 | Grand Rapids, MI metro | Michigan | Metro against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 95.5 | 96.2 | −4.5% |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.0 | −6.3% |
| Housing (rents) | 86.6 | 82.3 | −13.4% |
| Utilities | 93.8 | 100.2 | −6.2% |
| Other services | 99.6 | 100.9 | −0.4% |
Data: regional price parities for metro areas and states, 2024, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). BEA regional price parities
Grand Rapids: what rent costs
Homes listed now in Grand Rapids go for a typical asking rent of $1,602 a month, +4.3% over a year, according to the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). In the US, that figure is $1,932. Census median gross rent is $1,362. It includes every renting household, not only new leases. Twelve months of asking rent equal 27% of the median household income.
| Rent | Grand Rapids | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical asking rent, Zillow ZORI | $1,602 | $1,932 |
| Asking rent, 12-month change | +4.3% | |
| Median gross rent, Census ACS 2024 | $1,362 | $1,487 |
| Asking rent for twelve months, as a portion of median income | 27% | 28% |
Zillow Observed Rent Index; one-year estimates, Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024.
Home prices for Grand Rapids
A typical home in Grand Rapids was valued at $303,937 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). That index measures the value of the middle-of-the-market home. That figure is up 3.3% from a year earlier, against $366,157 in the US. That is 4.3 years of median household income, against 4.5 years in the US.
| Home prices | Grand Rapids | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value, September 2026 | $303,937 | $366,157 |
| 12-month change | +3.3% | +1.2% |
| 10-year change | +119.7% | +77.4% |
| Price to income (years of median income) | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Price to rent (years of asking rent) | 15.8 | 15.8 |
Days on market, the forecast, and the price chart since 2000: Grand Rapids housing market.
What salary you need to live in Grand Rapids
What you earn and where you live are the two things that set the Grand Rapids salary matching what your pay buys today.
- Moving from where you are now
- Salary
The method, with each city beside it: city by city cost of living comparison.
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Grand Rapids cost of living compared with other cities
| City | Prices overall | Housing | Rent, typical | Typical value of a home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | 95.5 | 86.6 | $1,602 | $303,937 |
| Detroit | 100.3 | 94.7 | $1,328 | $74,742 |
| Ann Arbor | 100.9 | 125.3 | $2,026 | $517,346 |
| New York City | 112.6 | 148.6 | $4,089 | $825,854 |
| Los Angeles | 113.6 | 170.4 | $2,772 | $927,891 |
| Chicago | 103.6 | 112.0 | $2,311 | $334,108 |
| Houston | 98.6 | 104.5 | $1,544 | $259,465 |
| Phoenix | 103.3 | 121.2 | $1,571 | $404,067 |
| Philadelphia | 102.6 | 113.1 | $1,757 | $231,584 |
Price levels come from BEA regional price parities for 2024, where US = 100. Rent figures come from Zillow ZORI. Home values: ZHVI, September 2026, from Zillow.
All cities, ranked: city cost of living comparison. State data: cost of living in each state.