Michigan · 115th largest metro area

Buying a home in Lansing, Michigan

In Lansing, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $128,700, Ingham County's effective property tax rate is 1.83%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $4,134 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $993 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Lansing home costs, fact by fact

About Lansing

Lansing lies in the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area, home to 479,971 people and ranked 115th among US metro areas. Owners occupy 53.8% of the homes in this city.

Calculate for Michigan

If you buy

Michigan transfer taxes

State real estate transfer tax (MCL 207.522 to 207.526): $3.75 per $500 of value or fraction of $500. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$269,500
State transfer tax ($3.75 per $500)$2,021.25
County transfer tax ($0.55 per $500)$296.45
Total transfer tax$2,317.70
Share of the price0.86% of the price
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Michigan median value of owner-occupied homes, $269,500 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: Divide the value by $500, round up to the next whole unit, multiply by $3.75. Value is fair market value of the real property only, if personal property is stated separately. This is the state share only; the county tax is added separately. The county transfer tax is imposed by law in every county, at 55 cents per $500 in a county under 2,000,000 people (MCL 207.502 and 207.504); a county of 2,000,000 or more may set up to 75 cents, and Wayne County, the most populous, charges 55 cents (Register of Deeds). Source: MCL 207.502 and 207.504 (legislature.mi.gov) and the Wayne County Register of Deeds Document Recording page, read October 15, 2026. Who pays: Both the state and county acts make the seller or grantor liable; a buyer may pay on the seller's behalf by agreement. Not included: other local transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Michigan transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Michigan state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Lansing

How much is property tax in Lansing?

Homeowners in Ingham County pay a median $3,640 a year in property tax, 1.83% of the county median home value of $198,800 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Lansing?

Home-purchase mortgages in Ingham County carried median total loan costs of $4,134 in 2025; half of the 2,423 loans fell between $3,387 and $6,009 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Lansing?

Michigan has a state transfer tax of $3.75 per $500 of value and a county transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 in counties under 2,000,000 people; Wayne County lists the combined rate as $8.60 per $1,000. By law the seller owes both.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Lansing?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Lansing ($128,700) equals 10.8 years of the median gross rent ($993 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Michigan rules that apply in Lansing

Other large cities in Michigan

Who licenses each trade in Michigan · All covered cities

Sources

Michigan · All states · Federal guides