James Noble Sherwood House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Gun Plain Township costs less to live in than 79% of U.S. towns
It ranks #74 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Up 3.1% in a year, 23% above the Michigan typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Holland, MI micro area ($83K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Holland-area micro earn ($83K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.2 years of area income, and 46% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $323Ktypical home, 23% above the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Holland-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Gun Plain Township
Nearly every household owns
92% of Gun Plain Township households own their home, against 73% across Michigan. There are only 186 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
The priciest town in its area
Gun Plain Township tops the three neighboring towns with a Zillow value. The next most expensive is Cooper Township at $276K; the least, Plainwell at $237K. Vs. neighbors ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Gun Plain Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gun Plain Township is more affordable than 79% of U.S. towns, #74 of 701 in Michigan. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Michigan: up 26.3% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 26.3% in five years
About the same pace as Michigan (24.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Gun Plain Township | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $179,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $193,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $192,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $204,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $233,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $259,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $269,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $284,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $304,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $320,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $323,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Gun Plain Township home worth $176K in October 2016 is worth about $323K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 14% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Gun Plain Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $7K short of a typical Gun Plain Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170 a month here, $810 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Gun Plain Township’s typical property tax (1.05% 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 $1,170
Renters already here pay a median of $988, 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.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Gun Plain Township in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1 million to build. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Gun Plain Township has permitted 92 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gun Plain Township gained 253 residents while 84 new homes were permitted: about 3 new residents per new home, more than across Michigan (1.2): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 10 | 10 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2022 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2019 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2018 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2016 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2015 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2012 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $894,000 |
| 2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $954,000 |
| 2010 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2008 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2007 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2006 | 50 | 50 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2005 | 56 | 56 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2004 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2003 | 58 | 58 | 0 | $5.4 million |
| 2002 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2001 | 53 | 53 | 0 | $4.9 million |
| 2000 | 53 | 53 | 0 | $4.9 million |
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 $2,771 (Michigan: $2,904), 1.05% 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 Gun Plain 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.
Gun Plain Township vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Gun Plain Township has the 4th-lowest. Prairieville Township and Otsego Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gun Plain Township | A− | $323K | $264K | 1.05% | $1,170 |
| Plainwell | B | $237K | $221K | 1.42% | $1,170 |
| Otsego Township | B− | — | $265K | 1.07% | $1,380 |
| Prairieville Township | C | — | $407K | 0.88% | $1,260 |
| Martin Township | A− | $246K | $206K | 1.24% | $1,260 |
| Cooper Township | C+ | $276K | $237K | 1.20% | $1,200 |
“—” 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 Gun Plain Township
Is Gun Plain Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gun Plain Township costs less than 79% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #74 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of the Holland, MI micro area ($83K).
How much does a house cost in Gun Plain Township?
About $323K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.1% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Gun Plain Township?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $85,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,980 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $47,000.
How much is rent in Gun Plain Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,170 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $988 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Gun Plain Township?
The median bill is $2,771 a year, 1.05% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Gun Plain Township going up?
Yes: up 3.1% in the past year and 26.3% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Gun Plain Township 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. 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.