Homes in Castleton Township cost about 1.5 years of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 82% of U.S. towns, #58 of 701 in Michigan. Home prices around Castleton Township have risen about 76% over the past 5 years.
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
In dollars, homes in Castleton Township cost less than the Michigan typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Grand Rapids-area incomes are lower too ($83K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.58% of a home’s value a year (Michigan: 1.25%), and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,150a 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
- 1.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Grand Rapids-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Michigan: 50%Census 2020–24
- 30%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Castleton Township, in brief
Prices rose faster than Michigan’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Castleton Township, so the page uses the federal house price index for the ZIP codes around it, which follows repeat sales of the same homes. It rose 76% over five years, against 52% across Michigan. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Castleton Township home runs about $1,120 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Castleton Township, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Castleton Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Castleton Township is more affordable than 82% of U.S. towns, #58 of 701 in Michigan. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Home prices up 76% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Castleton Township rose 76% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 17%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Castleton Township home at roughly $171,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $171K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Castleton 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 1.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Castleton Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Castleton Township home, with $125K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month here, $30 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Castleton Township’s typical property tax (1.58% 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 $1,150
Renters already here pay a median of $880, 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 (Barry 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.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,977, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.58% 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 Castleton Township
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.
Castleton Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Castleton Township. Hastings Township and Maple Grove Township and Vermontville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton Township | A− | — | $125K | 1.58% | $1,150 |
| Maple Grove Township | A | — | $231K | 1.11% | $1,150 |
| Hastings Township | A− | — | $242K | 0.83% | $1,320 |
| Woodland Township | B+ | $271K | $298K | 0.91% | $1,070 |
| Vermontville Township | A− | — | $177K | 1.33% | $1,110 |
| Nashville | A+ | $222K | $131K | 1.43% | $1,160 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Castleton Township
Is Castleton Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Castleton Township costs less than 82% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #58 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 1.5 years of the median household income of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area ($83K).
How much is rent in Castleton Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,150 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $880 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Castleton Township?
The median bill is $1,977 a year, 1.58% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Castleton 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.