What a Garden City home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at $84,400 of taxable value. Typical use.
- Property tax$4,629
7.284% of $84,400 taxable value, with the principal residence exemption
- Electricity and gas$2,660
609.81 kWh a month $1,759 · 68.74 therms $901
- Water and sewer$1,842
9 units (CCF) a month on City of Garden City: water $72, sewer $79, rouge valley annual fixed user charge $2 a month
- TrashIncluded
The City's 2026-27 tax levy includes 0.4662 mills for garbage and rubbish disposal
- Home insurance$1,056
Typical premium $1,056
A typical Garden City house costs about $10,200 a year: $4,630 property tax and charges, $1,840 water and sewer, $2,660 electricity and gas, $1,060 home insurance; trash is paid through property tax. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Owners: Principal Residence Exemption
State of Michigan
How: An owner’s principal residence is exempt from local school operating millage, up to 18 mills.
Lower incomes: Michigan Homestead Property Tax CreditUp to $1,900
Tax year 2025 limits: maximum taxable value $165,400, total household resources limit $71,500, phase-out above $62,500, credit limit $1,900.
How: See the Michigan Department of Treasury's Homestead Property Tax Credit information.
Bulk item pickup
Priority Waste
How: Only one large, bulky item, such as an appliance or piece of furniture, is collected per week on your regular trash day at no additional charge.
Ages 62+ with income up to $40,000: defer summer taxesPay summer taxes by Feb 14
City of Garden City Tax Office
How: A deferral of summer taxes until February 14 is available on the homestead of owners age 62 or older whose household income does not exceed $40,000; an application must be filed each year (by September 15, 2026 for 2026).
Money dates
- Feb 15, 2027in 103 daysWinter 2026 taxes are accepted through February 15, 2027 without penalty or interest; the City adds a 3% penalty on February 16, 2027
- Mar 2, 2027in 118 daysBeginning March 2, 2027, unpaid 2026 real property taxes must be paid to the Wayne County Treasurer with additional penalty and interest
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Garden City
- Water is $7.324 per unit (one unit = 748 gallons or 100 cubic feet) for usage periods beginning July 1, 2026
- Property tax
- 7.28% of value
- 2025 tax year, Wayne County (Garden City School District)
- Garbage
- Priority Waste
- Priority Waste will perform the same services as before under the City's contract
- Gas
- DTE Gas
- Garden City is listed in DTE Gas's territory served, Detroit District
Your water
- Lead
- The City's public notice dated July 17, 2026 reports a lead 90th percentile of 16 ppb against the Action Level of 12 ppb, from samples of 60 homes
Other MI cities
Beverly Hills home costsMount Pleasant home costsWyoming home costsBattle Creek home costsGrand Rapids home costsSaginaw home costsMarquette home costsMidland home costsOwosso home costsWayne home costsAnn Arbor home costsLincoln Park home costsFlint home costsBay City home costsWalker home costsJackson home costsNiles home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: the Michigan Treasury's 2025 Total Rates report, Garden City (code 822080), Garden City School District: 55.0874 mills with a Principal Residence Exemption and 73.0874 without (the 18-mill difference is the school operating levy). The City piece (24.1429 in 2025-26) is replaced with the adopted 2026-27 levy of 23.8980 mills (Ordinance A26-001), giving 54.8425 mills with the exemption; the other pieces remain 2025 and are not split out in the report.
- Taxable value: Michigan taxes taxable value, capped each year until a sale. We start at half of the Census median value of owner-occupied homes ($168,800), about $84,400. Long-time owners usually have a lower taxable value; enter yours from your bill.
- Water and sewer: the City's rates for usage periods beginning July 1, 2026: $7.324 water and $8.094 sewer per unit (748 gallons, treated as one ccf), plus annual fixed charges of $78.43 water and $78.43 sewer, shown per month (divided by 12), and a $20.03 a year Rouge Valley fixed charge. The City's 2026 billing schedule lists bills in several account sections; fixed charges are shown per month (divided by 12). We assume 9 ccf a month as a placeholder; the City does not publish a typical use.
- Garbage: Priority Waste serves the City, and the City's 2026-27 tax levy includes 0.4662 mills for garbage and rubbish; no separate trash fee was found and none is counted. The garbage levy is inside the property tax total.
- Electricity: MPSC Sept 1, 2026 comparison for DTE Electric, $10.00 plus 22.401 cents per kWh including surcharges. Gas: DTE Gas Rate A with the 2026 IRM, distribution and surcharges, and a 2026 gas cost recovery charge averaged over three months.
- Insurance: 2022 NAIC statewide average premium for Michigan (HO-3), the latest year on the cited page; it is a statewide figure.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How Garden City compares
A typical Garden City house against the 18 Michigan cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Garden City | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 7.28% | 6.17% | higher than 16 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Water | $869 | $622 | higher than 14 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $973 | $750 | higher than 11 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $2,660 | $2,762 | lower than 11 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,056 | $1,056 | in the middle of 16 other Michigan cities we cover |
| Total | $10,187 | $8,299 | higher than 14 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Property tax rate
The fact: Garden City's property tax rate is 7.28%, higher than 16 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Garden City is 7.28%, higher than 16 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"
2. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $869 a year at typical use, higher than 14 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover.
Ask: "Water here costs about $869 a year at typical use, higher than 14 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,660 a year, lower than 11 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,660 a year for a typical house, lower than 11 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Garden City house costs
What is the property tax rate in Garden City?
About 5.48% of taxable value a year for an owner's principal residence, or 7.28% without the Principal Residence Exemption (2025 tax year, Wayne County (Garden City School District)).
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Garden City?
A house bought for $500,000 starts at about $250,000 of taxable value (50% of its value), so about $13,711 a year with the principal residence exemption. After that, taxable value rises by inflation or 5%, whichever is lower, until the house sells again.
How much is the water bill in Garden City?
About $154 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of Garden City.
How much does trash pickup cost in Garden City?
The City's 2026-27 tax levy includes 0.4662 mills for garbage and rubbish disposal
When is property tax due in Garden City?
Mar 2, 2027: Beginning March 2, 2027, unpaid 2026 real property taxes must be paid to the Wayne County Treasurer with additional penalty and interest
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Garden City?
Yes. Lower incomes: Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit: Tax year 2025 limits: maximum taxable value $165,400, total household resources limit $71,500, phase-out above $62,500, credit limit $1,900.
How much does a house in Garden City cost to run each year?
A typical Garden City house costs about $10,200 a year: $4,630 property tax and charges, $1,840 water and sewer, $2,660 electricity and gas, $1,060 home insurance; trash is paid through property tax. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.