Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge · Photo: Michael Ceresko · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Morenci costs less to live in than 94% of U.S. towns
Up 9% in a year, 32% below the Michigan typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Adrian, MI micro area ($71K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Adrian-area micro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.5 years of area income, and 21% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $179Ktypical home, 32% below the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Adrian-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 21%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Michigan: 50%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Morenci, in brief
Few homes for sale, but they don’t sell fast
With about 1.8 months of supply (Michigan: 2.6), the market counts as tight. Yet the typical home took 128 days to sell, against 24 statewide, and sold at 99% of asking. Tight supply here hasn’t meant quick sales. How fast homes sell ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,706, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.64% a year, against 1.25% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $240 a month. Property taxes ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Morenci’s homes were built before 1947, against 1972 for Michigan as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Morenci’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Morenci is more affordable than 94% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Michigan: the typical Morenci home is up 33.1% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 9% in a year
Faster than Michigan (3.8%).
Show as a table
| January | Morenci | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $84,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $94,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $98,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $108,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $127,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $135,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $144,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $154,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $158,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $173,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $179,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Morenci home worth $81K in October 2016 is worth about $179K 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 5 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 typical home costs 1.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Morenci’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Morenci home, with $72K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $160 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Morenci’s typical property tax (1.64% 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 $846, 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 (Lenawee County, MI): 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 Morenci in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (3 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Morenci gained 50 residents while 10 new homes were permitted: about 5 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) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $750,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $369,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $369,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $369,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $110,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $314,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $186,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $280,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $373,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $466,000 |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $466,000 |
| 2004 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $466,000 |
| 2003 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $559,000 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $280,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $373,000 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $93,000 |
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 $1,706, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.64% 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 Morenci
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.
Morenci vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Morenci has the lowest. Medina Township and Seneca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morenci | A | $179K | $104K | 1.64% | $1,020 |
| Seneca Township | A− | — | $162K | 1.37% | $1,040 |
| Medina Township | B+ | — | $165K | 1.30% | $1,070 |
“—” 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 Morenci
Is Morenci expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Morenci costs less than 94% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.5 years of the median household income of the Adrian, MI micro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Morenci?
About $179K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 9.0% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Morenci?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $51,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,180 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $41,000.
How much is rent in Morenci?
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 $846 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Morenci?
The median bill is $1,706 a year, 1.64% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Morenci going up?
Yes: up 9.0% in the past year and 33.1% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Morenci 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.