Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Port Sheldon Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Pigeon River Ottawa County MichiganPhoto: Tim Kiser · CC BY 4.0
CCost of living
Cost of living in Port Sheldon Township

Even on the area’s higher pay, Port Sheldon Township costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns

It ranks #570 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Home prices around Port Sheldon Township have risen about 55% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 41 new homes in 2025.

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

Typical home value
$463K
▼ 1.7% in a year · MI $278K
Estimate
2-bedroom rent
$1,640
a month, utilities in · HUD
Median tax bill
$3,782
MI $2,904
Area income (the grade’s yardstick)
$83K
Grand Rapids-area median
Why Port Sheldon Township gets a C although people here earn more than most

The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Port Sheldon Township’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($83K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 18% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 10% of renters.

In dollars

  • $1,640a 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

  • 4.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$83K, Grand Rapids-area income
  • 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
  • 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out · In brief

The short version on homes in Port Sheldon Township

Building at 3 times the Michigan pace

Builders were permitted 41 new homes in 2025: 7.8 per 1,000 residents, against 2.3 across Michigan. That’s 428 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓

Nearly every household owns

96% of Port Sheldon Township households own their home, against 73% across Michigan. There are only 70 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓

Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Port Sheldon Township, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.

Cost of living grade

What’s behind Port Sheldon Township’s grade

Measured against what households in the area earn, Port Sheldon Township is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns, #570 of 701 in Michigan. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.

All U.S. towns we grade (21,243)More affordable than 29%
CostlierMore affordable
Michigan towns we grade (701)More affordable than 19%
How sure. Port Sheldon Township’s Census figures cover about 1,841 households. At the ends of the Census margins (area income ±$875, owners paying 30%+ ±6.5 points), Port Sheldon Township could be anywhere from C− to C+.

How TownRatings grades cost of living →

Price trend

Home prices up 55% in 5 years

The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Port Sheldon Township rose 55% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices fell 1.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Port Sheldon Township home at roughly $463,000 today.

Port Sheldon Township areaMichigan
−50%0%+50%+100%+150%+200%200020052010201520202025
−1.7%
past year
+55%
past 5 years
+110%
past 10 years
Estimated value

Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $463K.

Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Port Sheldon Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.

Affordability

A typical home costs 4.7 years of area income

The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Port Sheldon Township’s own median, or type yours.

Household income a year
$
Grand Rapids-area median household income, as in the grade
You could afford about
$320,000
Typical Port Sheldon Township home $463K

That’s $143K short of a typical Port Sheldon Township home.

The typical home, each month
$2,800
Loan $2,290Tax $370Insurance $140

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,640 a month here, $1,160 less than owning.

Where your budget reaches nearby

An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Port Sheldon Township’s typical property tax (0.97% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.

Renting

A two-bedroom rents for about $1,640

Renters already here pay a median of $1,551.

Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included

Studio$1,130
1 bedroom$1,440
2 bedrooms$1,640
3 bedrooms$2,080
4 bedrooms$2,440
4%
of households rent · MI 27%
70
renter households
10%
of renters spend 30%+ of income on rent · MI 50%
18%
of the median income, for a two-bedroom
$1,551
median rent paid today · Census

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Holland-Grand Haven, 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.

New construction

41 new homes permitted in 2025

Builders were permitted 41 new homes in Port Sheldon Township in 2025: 27 single-family houses and 14 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $22.8 million to build. That's 7.8 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Port Sheldon Township has permitted 428 homes in all.

Single-family2+ homes per building
020406080200020052010201520202025
41
new homes permitted in 2025
24
2026 so far (Jan–Aug)
7.8
per 1,000 residents · MI 2.3
428
homes in the past 10 years
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Residents+966
New homes+253

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Port Sheldon Township gained 966 residents while 253 new homes were permitted: about 3.8 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
YearNew homesSingle-family2+ per buildingValue
2026 (Jan–Aug)24168$12.6 million
2025412714$22.8 million
2024503020$26.5 million
202321210$11.1 million
202239390$20.5 million
202172720$39.1 million
202050500$14.8 million
201949490$17.5 million
201837370$13.6 million
201726260$8.9 million
201643430$14.1 million
201526260$9.5 million
201418180$7.7 million
201320200$5.9 million
201219190$4.4 million
2011990$1.9 million
2010660$2.1 million
2009550$806,000
200811110$4.2 million
200721210$8.6 million
200614140$4 million
200532320$9.2 million
200441410$9 million
200335350$8.9 million
200234340$8 million
200132320$7.8 million
200030300$7 million

Port Sheldon Township's permit office reported 2 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.

Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Property taxes

High tax bills, but a low tax rate

The median bill is $3,782 (Michigan: $2,904), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.97% a year, against 1.25% statewide.

$3,782
median bill a year · MI $2,904
0.97%
of a home’s value a year · MI 1.25%

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+”.

Beyond rent and mortgage

The rest of a budget near Port Sheldon Township

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.

CostHereCompared withAreaSource
Prices overall
U.S. = 100
96MI 96metroBEA, 2024
Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…)
U.S. = 100
94MI 96metroBEA, 2024
Utilities
U.S. = 100
94MI 100metroBEA, 2024
Other services
U.S. = 100
100MI 101metroBEA, 2024
Electricity
cents per kWh, homes
23.1¢U.S. 18.3¢stateEIA, 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.

Next door

Port Sheldon Township vs. its neighbors

Zillow publishes no value for Port Sheldon Township. Park Township and Grand Haven Township and Olive Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.

Cost next door · one source per column

TownCostTypical home
Zillow, latest
Median value
Census 2020–24
Tax rate
bill ÷ value
2-bed rent
HUD 2026
Port Sheldon TownshipC—$389K0.97%$1,640
Grand Haven TownshipC+—$366K0.94%$1,530
Olive TownshipA−—$284K1.08%$1,510
Park TownshipC+—$393K1.01%$1,500

“—” 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 Sheldon Township

Is Port Sheldon Township expensive to live in?

Measured against what households in the area earn, Port Sheldon Township costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #570 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 4.7 years of the median household income of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area ($83K).

How much is rent in Port Sheldon Township?

HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,640 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,551 (Census 2020–24).

What are property taxes in Port Sheldon Township?

The median bill is $3,782 a year, 0.97% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.

Neighbors talk housing

What Port Sheldon Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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.