Most of Grand Rapids is in Kent County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $41.82 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 19 ZIP codes in Grand Rapids with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,230 to $1,490 a month. At the middle rent, $1,310, a full-time job would need to pay $42.39 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49501 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49503 | Kent County | $1,410/mo | $46.17/hr |
| 49504 | Kent County | $1,300/mo | $42.01/hr |
| 49505 | Kent County | $1,390/mo | $45.41/hr |
| 49506 | Kent County | $1,430/mo | $46.93/hr |
| 49507 | Kent County | $1,280/mo | $41.25/hr |
| 49508 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49510 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49512 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49514 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49515 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49516 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49518 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
| 49525 | Kent County | $1,490/mo | $49.20/hr |
| 49534 | Kent County | $1,240/mo | $39.74/hr |
| 49544 | Kent County | $1,230/mo | $39.36/hr |
| 49546 | Kent County | $1,420/mo | $46.55/hr |
| 49548 | Kent County | $1,230/mo | $39.36/hr |
| 49588 | Kent County | $1,310/mo | $42.39/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Grand Rapids needs to pay at least $41.82 an hour before taxes, about $86,990 a year. That is the figure for Kent County, where the typical studio rent is $1,295 a month.
Yes. Across the 19 ZIP codes in Grand Rapids with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,230 to $1,490 a month. At the middle rent of $1,310, the pay needed would be $42.39 an hour.
The minimum wage in Kent County is $13.73 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads