Cost of living in East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing, Michigan has about 45,758 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $270,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Ingham County is $1,323 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in East Lansing. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area, prices sit at 95.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Michigan taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not East Lansing's exact store tax.

Some places in Michigan add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.16% of income. That is not a East Lansing bill.

In July 2026, a typical Michigan home paid 23.05¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not East Lansing's bill.

EIA does not publish a Michigan gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Michigan shares this price.

Among 409 places we list in Michigan with a rent figure, 90 have higher typical rent than East Lansing.