Measured against area pay, Fraser Township costs less to live in than 72% of U.S. towns
It ranks #139 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Home prices around Fraser Township have risen about 50% over the past 5 years. No new homes were permitted in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Bay City, MI metro area ($62K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Bay City metro earn ($62K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.6 years of metro income, and 66% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 92prices across the Bay City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 67)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$62K, Bay City-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Fraser Township
What’s behind Fraser Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fraser Township is more affordable than 72% of U.S. towns, #139 of 701 in Michigan. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Home prices up 50% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Fraser Township rose 50% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Michigan. Last year prices fell 3.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Fraser Township home at roughly $195,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $195K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Fraser 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 2.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Fraser Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Fraser Township home, with $32K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $220 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Fraser Township’s typical property tax (1.38% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $778, 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 (Bay City, MI MSA): 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 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Fraser Township in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (2 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Fraser Township's population fell by 198 even though 17 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Michigan: 1.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $750,000 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $600,000 |
| 2020 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $300,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $355,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $260,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $715,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $585,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $919,000 |
| 2005 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $695,000 |
| 2004 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $156,000 |
| 2002 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2001 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2000 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,245, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.38% 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 Fraser Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Bay 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 | 92 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 95 | 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.
Fraser Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Fraser Township. Kawkawlin Township and Garfield Township and Pinconning 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Township | B+ | — | $163K | 1.38% | $1,020 |
| Pinconning Township | A− | — | $137K | 1.24% | $1,010 |
| Garfield Township | A− | — | $168K | 1.30% | $1,070 |
| Kawkawlin Township | B+ | — | $189K | 1.23% | $1,000 |
“—” 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 Fraser Township
Is Fraser Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Fraser Township costs less than 72% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #139 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 2.6 years of the median household income of the Bay City, MI metro area ($62K).
How much is rent in Fraser Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $778 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Fraser Township?
The median bill is $2,245 a year, 1.38% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Fraser 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. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.