Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Belding costs less to live in than 90% of U.S. towns
It ranks #14 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Up 7.1% in a year, close to the Michigan typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area ($83K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Grand Rapids metro earn ($83K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.0 years of metro income, and 55% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $272Ktypical home, 3% above the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,300a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Grand Rapids metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 87)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Grand Rapids-area income
- 10%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 55%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Michigan: 50%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Belding
What’s behind Belding’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belding is more affordable than 90% of U.S. towns, #14 of 701 in Michigan. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Michigan: the typical Belding home is up 34.4% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 34.4% in five years
Faster than Michigan (24.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Belding | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $125,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $144,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $153,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $159,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $181,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $206,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $217,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $232,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $248,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $261,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $272,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Belding home worth $121K in October 2016 is worth about $272K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Belding’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Belding home, with $38K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,300 a month here, $400 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Belding’s typical property tax (1.21% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,300
Renters already here pay a median of $668, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2017
No permits for new homes were issued in Belding in 2017. The last year with any was 2015 (1 new home).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $222,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $252,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $70,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $280,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $390,000 |
| 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $631,000 |
| 2006 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2005 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2003 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $932,000 |
| 2002 | 32 | 26 | 6 | $2.4 million |
| 2001 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2000 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $817,000 |
Belding's permit office hasn't appeared in the Census permit files since 2017, so these are its newest figures.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Michigan norm
The median bill is $1,990 (Michigan: $2,904), 1.21% of a home’s value a year, against 1.25% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Belding
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area, or Michigan. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 96 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 94 | MI 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | MI 101 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 23.1¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Belding and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belding | A | $272K | $164K | 1.21% | $1,300 |
Questions about the cost of living in Belding
Is Belding expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belding costs less than 90% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #14 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 2.0 years of the median household income of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area ($83K).
How much does a house cost in Belding?
About $272K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 7.1% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Belding?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $73,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,700 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $52,000.
How much is rent in Belding?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,300 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $668 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Belding?
The median bill is $1,990 a year, 1.21% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Belding going up?
Yes: up 7.1% in the past year and 34.4% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Belding buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.