Measured against area pay, Lee Township costs less to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Lee Township have risen about 59% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 1 new home in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Battle Creek, MI metro area ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Battle Creek metro earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.4 years of metro income, and 81% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,120a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Battle Creek metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 61)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, Battle Creek-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Lee Township
What’s behind Lee Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lee Township is more affordable than 62% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 59% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Lee Township rose 59% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 9.9%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Lee Township home at roughly $256,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $256K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Lee 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 16% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lee Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $20K short of a typical Lee Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,120 a month here, $470 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lee Township’s typical property tax (1.16% 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 $1,120
Renters already here pay a median of $857, 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 (Battle Creek, MI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Lee Township in 2025. That's 0.9 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Lee Township has permitted 8 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lee Township's population fell by 158 even though 7 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) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $707,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $344,000 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $623,000 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $278,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $306,000 |
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $75,000 |
| 2005 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
| 2000 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $113,000 |
Lee Township'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.
Property tax runs below the Michigan norm
The median bill is $2,467 (Michigan: $2,904), 1.16% 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 Lee Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Battle Creek, 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 | 91 | 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.
Lee Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Lee Township. Marengo Township and Clarence Township and Walton Township and Convis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Township | B | — | $213K | 1.16% | $1,120 |
| Walton Township | A− | — | $221K | 1.20% | $1,090 |
| Convis Township | B | — | $184K | 1.27% | $1,210 |
| Marengo Township | B | — | $250K | 0.97% | $1,140 |
| Clarence Township | C | — | $222K | 1.14% | $1,120 |
“—” 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 Lee Township
Is Lee Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lee Township costs less than 62% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Battle Creek, MI metro area ($63K).
How much is rent in Lee Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,120 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $857 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lee Township?
The median bill is $2,467 a year, 1.16% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Lee 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.