Daniel Striker House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Hastings costs less to live in than 79% of U.S. towns
It ranks #78 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Up 3.2% in a year, 9% below the Michigan typical home.
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
The grade compares costs with what households across the Grand Rapids metro earn ($83K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.1 years of metro income, and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $240Ktypical home, 9% below the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,320a 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
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Grand Rapids-area income
- 11%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Michigan: 50%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Hastings’ housing numbers say
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Hastings pay a median of $745. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Hastings permitted 40 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.5 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Michigan, the pace in 2025 was 2.3. In 2025, Hastings permitted 4. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Hastings’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hastings is more affordable than 79% of U.S. towns, #78 of 701 in Michigan. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Michigan: the typical Hastings home is up 29.7% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.7% in five years
Faster than Michigan (24.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Hastings | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $119,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $132,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $141,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $151,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $169,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $189,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $200,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $213,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $228,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $236,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $240,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Hastings home worth $115K in October 2016 is worth about $240K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Hastings’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Hastings home, with $60K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,320 a month here, $230 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Hastings’s typical property tax (1.43% 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 $1,320
Renters already here pay a median of $745, 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.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Hastings in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.1 million to build. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Hastings has permitted 40 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Hastings gained 164 residents while 18 new homes were permitted: about 9.1 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2023 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2019 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $807,000 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $316,000 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $210,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $105,000 |
| 2010 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $631,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $316,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $403,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $456,000 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Hastings's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
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 $2,504, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.43% 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 Hastings
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.
Hastings vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Hastings has the lowest. Hastings Township has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hastings | A− | $240K | $175K | 1.43% | $1,320 |
| Rutland Township | B+ | $339K | $274K | 0.97% | $1,330 |
| Hastings Township | A− | — | $242K | 0.83% | $1,320 |
“—” 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 Hastings
Is Hastings expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Hastings costs less than 79% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #78 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area ($83K).
How much does a house cost in Hastings?
About $240K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.2% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Hastings?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $66,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,550 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in Hastings?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $745 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Hastings?
The median bill is $2,504 a year, 1.43% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Hastings going up?
Yes: up 3.2% in the past year and 29.7% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Hastings 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.