Most of Traverse City is in Grand Traverse County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $38.04 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Traverse City with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,180 to $1,320 a month. At the middle rent, $1,210, a full-time job would need to pay $38.61 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49684 | Grand Traverse County | $1,210/mo | $38.61/hr |
| 49685 | Grand Traverse County | $1,320/mo | $42.77/hr |
| 49686 | Grand Traverse County | $1,180/mo | $37.47/hr |
| 49696 | Grand Traverse County | $1,210/mo | $38.61/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Traverse City needs to pay at least $38.04 an hour before taxes, about $79,123 a year. That is the figure for Grand Traverse County, where the typical studio rent is $1,195 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Traverse City with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,180 to $1,320 a month. At the middle rent of $1,210, the pay needed would be $38.61 an hour.
The minimum wage in Grand Traverse County is $13.73 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 2.8 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