Most of Portage is in Kalamazoo County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $26.59 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 3 ZIP codes in Portage with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $770 to $990 a month. At the middle rent, $890, a full-time job would need to pay $27.57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49002 | Kalamazoo County | $770/mo | $23.63/hr |
| 49024 | Kalamazoo County | $990/mo | $30.86/hr |
| 49081 | Kalamazoo County | $890/mo | $27.57/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Portage needs to pay at least $26.59 an hour before taxes, about $55,301 a year. That is the figure for Kalamazoo County, where the typical studio rent is $860 a month.
Yes. Across the 3 ZIP codes in Portage with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $770 to $990 a month. At the middle rent of $890, the pay needed would be $27.57 an hour.
The minimum wage in Kalamazoo County is $13.73 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 1.9 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