Photo: LHOON from Mechelen, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Manchester costs less to live in than 77% of U.S. towns
Up 3.9% in a year, 40% above the Michigan typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Ann Arbor, MI metro area ($89K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Ann Arbor metro earn ($89K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.6 years of metro income, and 68% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $371Ktypical home, 40% above the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,450a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 101prices across the Ann Arbor metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 125)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$89K, Ann Arbor-area income
- 11%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 22%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Manchester
What’s behind Manchester’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Manchester is more affordable than 77% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have lagged Michigan: the typical Manchester home is up 16.8% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 16.8% in five years
Slower than Michigan (24.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Manchester | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $240,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $248,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $267,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $289,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $298,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $326,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $333,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $344,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $359,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $366,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $371,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Manchester home worth $236K in October 2016 is worth about $371K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 7 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 11% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Manchester’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $50K short of a typical Manchester home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month here, $950 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Manchester’s typical property tax (1.47% 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 $1,450
Renters already here pay a median of $840, 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 (Ann Arbor, MI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
6 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 6 new homes in Manchester in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.5 million to build. That's 2.4 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Michigan as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Manchester has permitted 40 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Manchester's population fell by 54 even though 12 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) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $478,000 |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $495,000 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $812,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $631,000 |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $510,000 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $460,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $325,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $241,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $340,000 |
| 2005 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2003 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2002 | 23 | 15 | 8 | $2.4 million |
| 2001 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2000 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $722,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Michigan norm
The median bill is $3,421 (Michigan: $2,904), 1.47% 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 Manchester
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Ann Arbor, 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 | 101 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 98 | 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.
Manchester and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | A− | $371K | $232K | 1.47% | $1,450 |
Questions about the cost of living in Manchester
Is Manchester expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Manchester costs less than 77% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.6 years of the median household income of the Ann Arbor, MI metro area ($89K).
How much does a house cost in Manchester?
About $371K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.9% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Manchester?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $103,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,400 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $58,000.
How much is rent in Manchester?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,450 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $840 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Manchester?
The median bill is $3,421 a year, 1.47% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Manchester going up?
Yes: up 3.9% in the past year and 16.8% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Manchester 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, May 2026. 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.