Rents are 5% below what Madison Heights's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,565 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
December. Asking rents in Madison Heights usually run 0.6% below trend in December and 0.7% above it in July, about $20 a month apart at today's median. Based on 8 years of data.
Rent in Madison Heights is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in March 2016.
Rent in Madison Heights changed +3.0% over the year to September 2026. Across the 79 Michigan cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +4.1%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Madison Heights rose 31.8% while median household income rose 30.1% ($53,439 to $69,503). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Madison Heights is 40.2% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 8 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($69,503) is $1,738 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 3-bedroom ($1,680); a 4-bedroom is $1,820.
Warren, 4 miles away, rents for 13% less ($1,369/mo), about $2,400 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Madison Heights. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Madison Heights, MI is majority owner-occupied, 33.9% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Madison Heights, MI has changed in 5 years
Rent in Madison Heights, MI has increased 29.0% since 2021, going from about $1,213 per month to roughly $1,565 today. Median household income grew from $58,537 to $69,503 between 2021 and 2024, a 18.7% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 10.3 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 28,719 to 28,419 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.0% change. About 35.2% of households rent today, against 38.3% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 30.1% to 33.9%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Madison Heights, MI reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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At $1,565/mo, how Madison Heights rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Madison Heights rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Madison Heights. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Madison Heights
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Madison Heights is $1,565/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $990/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,370/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,080/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,680/mo.
At 27% of local median household income ($69,503/yr), Madison Heights ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 3.0% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Madison Heights?
At $1,565/mo, rent takes ~27% of Madison Heights's median household income ($69,503/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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