St. Clair River Tunnel · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Port Huron costs less to live in than 64% of U.S. towns
It ranks #225 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Up 3.6% in a year, 34% below the Michigan typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area ($77K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, homes in Port Huron cost less than the Michigan typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Detroit-area incomes are lower too ($77K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.40% of a home’s value a year (Michigan: 1.25%), and 65% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $174Ktypical home, 34% below the Michigan typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 100prices across the Detroit metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 95)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$77K, Detroit-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 65%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Michigan: 50%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Port Huron
About two in three renters are stretched
65% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 50% across Michigan. A standard two-bedroom would take 28% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Very little new building
Port Huron permitted 41 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.1 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Michigan, the pace in 2025 was 2.3. In 2025, Port Huron permitted 5. New homes ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Port Huron home runs about $1,110 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170. Can I afford it? ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Port Huron lost 1,201 residents while 47 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
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 September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Port Huron’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Port Huron is more affordable than 64% of U.S. towns, #225 of 701 in Michigan. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Michigan: up 27.3% in five years, against 24.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 27.3% in five years
About the same pace as Michigan (24.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Port Huron | Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $77,000 | $142,000 |
| 2018 | $85,000 | $153,000 |
| 2019 | $98,000 | $164,000 |
| 2020 | $109,000 | $173,000 |
| 2021 | $124,000 | $192,000 |
| 2022 | $138,000 | $215,000 |
| 2023 | $148,000 | $228,000 |
| 2024 | $158,000 | $238,000 |
| 2025 | $166,000 | $250,000 |
| 2026 | $171,000 | $259,000 |
| September 2026 | $174,000 | $264,000 |
A typical Port Huron home worth $73K in October 2016 is worth about $174K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.1 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Port Huron’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Port Huron home, with $107K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170 a month here, $60 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Port Huron’s typical property tax (1.40% 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 $982, 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 (Detroit-Warren-Livonia, 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.
5 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 5 new homes in Port Huron in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.2 million to build. That's 0.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Port Huron has permitted 41 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Port Huron's population fell by 1,201 even though 47 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 | $494,000 |
| 2025 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $524,000 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $345,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $177,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $527,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $166,000 |
| 2017 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $370,000 |
| 2015 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2014 | 19 | 2 | 17 | $2.3 million |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $667,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $225,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $515,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2006 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2005 | 43 | 41 | 2 | $3.9 million |
| 2004 | 61 | 43 | 18 | $5.9 million |
| 2003 | 29 | 27 | 2 | $3.1 million |
| 2002 | 31 | 23 | 8 | $2.3 million |
| 2001 | 44 | 40 | 4 | $4.5 million |
| 2000 | 149 | 37 | 112 | $8.6 million |
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 $2,089, under the Michigan median of $2,904, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.40% 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 Port Huron
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, 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 | 100 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 99 | MI 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 107 | MI 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 103 | 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.
Port Huron vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Port Huron has the lowest. Port Huron 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Huron | B | $174K | $149K | 1.40% | $1,170 |
| Port Huron Township | B− | — | $196K | 1.17% | $1,170 |
| Fort Gratiot Township | B+ | $269K | $241K | 1.14% | $1,190 |
| Marysville | B | $233K | $209K | 1.55% | $1,180 |
“—” 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 Port Huron
Is Port Huron expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Port Huron costs less than 64% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #225 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area ($77K).
How much does a house cost in Port Huron?
About $174K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.6% in a year. The Michigan typical home is $264K.
What salary do you need to live in Port Huron?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $48,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,110 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 Port Huron?
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 $982 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Port Huron?
The median bill is $2,089 a year, 1.40% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Port Huron going up?
Yes: up 3.6% in the past year and 27.3% in five years, against 24.4% across Michigan (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Port Huron 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, September 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.