Cities / Michigan / Spans 2 counties / East Lansing
RentMarker city housing analysis
City housing brief · Incorporated place

East Lansing, MI

City evidence stays city-level. County, metro and national records appear separately to explain the wider market without changing the city figures.

City gross yield4.6%ZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI · before costs
Direct city rent answer

What does rent cost in East Lansing, MI?

The latest city-level Zillow ZORI for East Lansing is $1,261 per month in 2026-06. It measures a typical asking-rent market across rental types—not an arithmetic average or an address-level rent estimate.

City Zillow ZORI$1,2612026-06 · up 5.4% year over year
City ACS gross rent$1,171ACS 2024 5-year occupied-renter survey
HUD two-bedroom contextn/aCity intersects 2 counties; no county selected
How to read the rent answer for East Lansing
MeasureCurrent valueGeographyMeasurement boundary
Zillow ZORI$1,261East Lansing cityTypical observed asking-rent index; not a unit quote.
Census ACS gross rent$1,171East Lansing citySurvey estimate for occupied renter homes, including specified utilities.
HUD 2BR FMRn/aNo single countyAdministrative bedroom standard; wider context, never substituted as city rent.

For a property decision, match bedroom count, condition, utilities, concessions, lease timing and nearby comparable listings. Wider county and metro evidence below stays explicitly labelled.Zillow pulled 2026-07-29

City market snapshot

Four figures that frame the city

Typical home value
$329k
▲ 4.4% year over year
Zillow ZHVI · 2026-06
Observed market rent
$1,261
▲ 5.4% year over year
Zillow ZORI · 2026-06
Entry affordability
7.2x
home value ÷ household income
Zillow + Census ACS
Population
45,758
▼ 6.1% between ACS vintages
ACS 2024 5-year
Current measured evidence

Use the source-dated charts while the narrative is refreshed

The city facts below remain available because they are generated directly from the current public records. The written interpretation will return only after it matches the same evidence set.

Housing system

Market movement and the stock underneath it

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +29.6%ZORI +10.5%
13011295202120222023202420252026
Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.
Housing stock

Tenure and vacancy

ACS
61.5%RENTER
Owner occupied38.5%
Renter occupied61.5%
Vacant units11.4%

Median structure year 1975

Tenure uses occupied units; vacancy uses all housing units.
Measurement matrix

Two sources, two different questions

SourceHome valueMonthly rent
Zillow market index$329.4K$1.3K
ACS occupied housing$270.8K$1.2K
Zillow measures current market indexes. ACS reports surveyed owner value and gross rent for occupied housing. The rows are context, not interchangeable estimates.
Direct city depth

Households and housing form behind the medians

Median household income$46k

Annual ACS household measure.

Rent-to-income screen33.1%

Annual ZORI divided by ACS median income.

ACS rent burden71.6%

Renters paying at least 30% of household income toward gross rent.

Average household size2.18

People per occupied housing unit.

Single-family stock42.8%

Detached and attached one-unit structures.

Large multifamily stock26.1%

Housing in structures with 20 or more units.

Vacant and for rent46.9%

Share of vacant units listed by ACS as for rent, not a market vacancy rate.

Unemployment6.6%

Share of the civilian labor force.

Poverty33.0%

ACS population for whom poverty status is determined.

These are citywide context measures. They cannot tell you the rent, vacancy, expenses or tenant demand for a particular neighborhood or property.
Closest market alternatives

Three useful contrasts, not a synthetic winner

The peer set broadens the decision without mixing geographies. Price, rent and housing characteristics remain city-level for every place.

Comparable market profile

Entry price, rent and gross yield

East Lansing, MILansing, MIMidland, MIMankato, MN
Typical home valueZillow ZHVIEast Lansing$329.4KLansing$171.4KMidland$260KMankato$311KObserved market rentZillow ZORI / monthEast Lansing$1.3KLansing$1.2KMidland$1.5KMankato$1.2KGross yieldZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVIEast Lansing4.6%Lansing8.6%Midland6.8%Mankato4.8%
Bars begin at zero within each measure. Gross yield is a screening ratio before financing, taxes, insurance, vacancy, maintenance or management costs.
Same metro01

Lansing, MI

Compared with East Lansing, typical home value is $158k lower, monthly rent is $32 lower, and gross yield is 4.0 percentage points higher.

Rent burden 30%+
50.2%
Renter share
46.2%
One-unit stock
66.1%
20+ unit stock
10.6%
Same state02

Midland, MI

Compared with East Lansing, typical home value is $69k lower, monthly rent is $222 higher, and gross yield is 2.2 percentage points higher.

Rent burden 30%+
50.4%
Renter share
32.9%
One-unit stock
73.2%
20+ unit stock
9.1%
Closest data profile03

Mankato, MN

Compared with East Lansing, typical home value is $18k lower, monthly rent is $30 lower, and gross yield is 0.2 percentage points higher.

Rent burden 30%+
49.8%
Renter share
50.0%
One-unit stock
52.7%
20+ unit stock
21.0%

These are analytical alternatives, not recommendations. The structural measures come from Census ACS; price and rent use the Zillow releases shown on each card and in the source ledger below.

Wider market context

What surrounds the city without being mistaken for it

The layers below answer different questions. County records describe listing, migration, financing and hazard conditions around the city; metro records describe jobs, supply and permits; the mortgage rate is national.

Same measure, wider boundary

City marker against intersecting counties

CityCounty range
Typical home value$232.6K$320.6K$329.4KObserved market rent$1.3K$1.8K$1.3K
Both levels use Zillow indexes, but the county records cover land and housing outside the city. The comparison supplies context; it does not replace the city value.
Same Zillow index families

City limits versus the linked metro

East LansingMetro
Observed market rentMetro $1.3KCity $1.3K · -2.7%Typical home valueMetro $252.9KCity $329.4K · +30.3%Gross yieldMetro 6.2%City 4.6% · -25.3%
Zillow ZORI and ZHVI use the same release month at both boundaries. Gross yield is rent × 12 ÷ home value; the metro contains the city and is context, not a substitute.

Search all direct city–metro gaps in the interactive atlas.

COUNTY LAYER

All 2 intersecting counties

Rows stay separate; no unweighted county average is presented as a city fact.

2026-06
Active listings
94
Listing DOM
35 days
FHFA one-year
▲ 5.4%
Net migration
-62
Investor share
2.2%
Effective property tax
1.23%
Top hazard
inland flooding
Expected loss ratio
0.12%
2026-06
Active listings
492
Listing DOM
38 days
FHFA one-year
▲ 4.8%
Net migration
-567
Investor share
7.4%
Effective property tax
1.83%
Top hazard
inland flooding
Expected loss ratio
0.11%
METRO LAYER

Lansing, MI

Open metro analysis →
Job growth▼ 1.1%12m to 2026-06
Permitted units9422026 YTD through M06
Permits / 1,0002.0broader metro population
Months of supply2.12026-05-01
Median DOM30 daysRedfin metro tracker
Price drops23.4%Redfin metro tracker
Wider-context figures are not inputs to the city gross yield and are never used to fill a missing city price, rent or ACS measure.
Sources and geography

What belongs to this city page

Census recognizes this as East Lansing city. The place intersects 2 counties (Clinton County, Ingham County); population and ACS measures are place-wide.