Measured against area pay, Echo Township costs less to live in than 61% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Echo Township have risen about 86% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Antrim County, MI ($72K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Antrim County earn ($72K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.3 years of area income, and 54% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,060a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$72K, Antrim County income
- 21%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Echo Township
Prices rose faster than Michigan’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Echo 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 86% over five years, against 52% across Michigan. Price trend ↓
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.63% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 1.25% across Michigan. The median bill is $1,474 (Michigan: $2,904). Property taxes ↓
A second-home town
20% of Echo Township’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 28 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Nearly every household owns
91% of Echo Township households own their home, against 73% across Michigan. There are only 28 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Echo 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 Echo Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Echo Township is more affordable than 61% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 86% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Echo Township rose 86% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices fell 1.1%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Echo Township home at roughly $304,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $304K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Echo Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A year’s rent takes 21% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Echo Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $12K short of a typical Echo Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,060 a month here, $690 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Echo Township’s typical property tax (0.63% 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 $1,060
Renters already here pay a median of $1,271.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Antrim County, MI): 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 $1,474 (Michigan: $2,904), 0.63% 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 Echo Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: Michigan, or Michigan. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Echo Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Echo Township. South Arm Township and Kearney Township and Central Lake Township and Jordan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Echo Township | B | — | $236K | 0.63% | $1,060 |
| Central Lake Township | B+ | — | $228K | 0.79% | $1,250 |
| Kearney Township | B | — | $241K | 0.83% | $1,000 |
| South Arm Township | B− | — | $262K | 0.74% | $1,030 |
| Jordan Township | – | — | $206K | 0.72% | $990 |
“—” 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 Echo Township
Is Echo Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Echo Township costs less than 61% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.3 years of the median household income of Antrim County, MI ($72K).
How much is rent in Echo Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,060 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,271 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Echo Township?
The median bill is $1,474 a year, 0.63% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Echo 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.