Measured against area pay, Boardman Township costs less to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Boardman Township have risen about 66% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Traverse City, MI metro area ($81K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Traverse City metro earn ($81K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.2 years of metro income, and 11% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,210a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Traverse City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 78)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$81K, Traverse City-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Boardman Township
What’s behind Boardman Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Boardman Township is more affordable than 94% of U.S. towns. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Home prices up 66% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Boardman Township rose 66% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 4.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Boardman Township home at roughly $229,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $229K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Boardman Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 2.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Boardman Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Boardman Township home, with $87K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,210 a month here, $160 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Boardman Township’s typical property tax (0.88% 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 $1,210
Renters already here pay a median of $956, 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 Traverse County, 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.
Property tax runs below the Michigan norm
The median bill is $1,571 (Michigan: $2,904), 0.88% 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 Boardman Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Traverse City, 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 | 93 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 92 | 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.
Boardman Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Boardman Township. Union Township and Orange Township and Kalkaska Township and Springfield Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boardman Township | A | — | $178K | 0.88% | $1,210 |
| Orange Township | A− | — | $201K | 0.80% | $1,080 |
| Union Township | – | — | $242K | 0.73% | $1,270 |
| Springfield Township | A− | — | $160K | 0.95% | $1,250 |
| Kalkaska Township | A+ | — | $174K | 0.81% | $1,060 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Boardman Township
Is Boardman Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Boardman Township costs less than 94% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.2 years of the median household income of the Traverse City, MI metro area ($81K).
How much is rent in Boardman Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,210 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $956 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Boardman Township?
The median bill is $1,571 a year, 0.88% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Boardman Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.