What a Wayne 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 $78,900 of taxable value. Typical use.
- Property tax$4,205
7.130% of $78,900 taxable value, with the principal residence exemption
- Electricity$1,759
609.81 kWh a month $1,759
- Water and sewer$1,675
7,000 gallons a month on City of Wayne: water $70, sewer $69 a month
- TrashIncluded
The City's millage information lists a garbage levy (Public Act 298 of 1917)
- Home insurance$1,056
Typical premium $1,056
A typical Wayne house costs about $8,700 a year: $4,210 property tax and charges, $1,670 water and sewer, $1,760 electricity, $1,060 home insurance; trash is paid through property tax. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 22, 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: file for the Principal Residence Exemption
State of Michigan
How: An owner's principal residence is exempt from up to 18 mills of local school operating tax.
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.
Seniors 62+ with income under $40,000: defer summer taxesPay summer taxes by Feb 14 without penalty
City of Wayne Treasurer
How: Seniors, 62 or older, whose annual income is under $40,000 may sign a deferment to allow payment of summer without penalty after October 1. The signed form must be received in the Treasurer's Office by October 1 and must be completed each tax year.
Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP)Call 313-386-9727
WayneMetro
How: Residents can call WayneMetro at 313-386-WRAP (9727) to set up an appointment.
Bulk item pickupAppliances at the curb
Priority Waste
How: Call Priority Waste at 586-228-1200 or toll free at 855-927-8365 to schedule a special pickup of bulk items.
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Wayne
- Water is $8.73 per 1,000 gallons from July 1, 2026
- Property tax
- 7.13% of value
- 2025 tax year, Wayne County (Wayne-Westland Community Schools)
- Garbage
- Priority Waste
- Priority Waste partners with the City of Wayne to provide trash collection and waste disposal services
- Electricity
- DTE Electric
- Our electric company is laser-focused on improving reliability for all our customers
Your water
- Billing
- Residential customers are billed every two months
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 costsAnn Arbor home costsLincoln Park home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: the Michigan Treasury's 2025 Total Rates report, Wayne City (code 822300), Wayne-Westland Community Schools: 53.3006 mills with a Principal Residence Exemption and 71.3006 without one (the 18-mill difference is the school operating levy). 2026 rates were not published when this was researched; the city, county and school pieces are not split out here.
- 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 ($157,800), about $78,900. Long-time owners usually have a lower taxable value; enter yours from your bill.
- Water and sewer: the City's rates for bills on or after July 1, 2026: $8.73 water and $9.07 sewer per 1,000 gallons, plus monthly fixed fees for a 1 inch or smaller meter ($11.58 water, $8.16 sewer). The City bills every two months; amounts here are shown per month. The City mentions other charges (IWC charges, monthly meter fees) we could not quantify, so no extra charge is counted. We assume 9 ccf (about 6,700 gal) a month as a placeholder, not a sourced typical use; check your bill.
- Garbage: Priority Waste serves the City, and the City's millage page lists a garbage levy among its summer millages (no rate given), so no separate trash fee was found and none is counted. The page does not show how much of the property tax rate is the garbage levy.
- Electricity: MPSC Sept 1, 2026 comparison for DTE Electric, $10.00 plus 22.401 cents per kWh including surcharges; DTE is shown as the electric utility on the City's DTE page. Gas: no source found naming the City of Wayne's gas provider (DTE says it serves most Wayne County residents but names no cities), so gas is excluded; heating costs are not in the total.
- Insurance: 2022 NAIC statewide average premium for Michigan (HO-3), the latest year on the cited page; it is four years old and is a statewide figure, so it may understate costs in Wayne.
- Garbage: no separate fee found on city/hauler pages; monthly 0 is a modelling assumption (levy in millage).
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- Michigan Treasury: 2025 Total Property Tax Rates
- City of Wayne: Water & Sewer Rates
- City of Wayne: FAQs
- City of Wayne: Property Tax
- City of Wayne: Millage Information
- City of Wayne: Refuse Collection Services
- City of Wayne: Water Billing
- City of Wayne: DTE Power Improvements Map
- Priority Waste: City of Wayne
- Census QuickFacts: Wayne city, Michigan
- Source
- Source
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How Wayne compares
A typical Wayne house against the 12 Michigan cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Wayne | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 7.13% | 6.04% | higher than 10 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover |
| Water | $844 | $524 | higher than 9 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $831 | $761 | higher than 6 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $1,759 | $2,762 | lower than 11 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,056 | $1,056 | in the middle of 11 other Michigan cities we cover |
| Total | $8,695 | $8,568 | higher than 6 of the other 11 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: Wayne's property tax rate is 7.13%, higher than 10 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Wayne is 7.13%, higher than 10 of the other 11 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 $844 a year at typical use, higher than 9 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover.
Ask: "Water here costs about $844 a year at typical use, higher than 9 of the other 11 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 $1,759 a year, lower than 11 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,759 a year for a typical house, lower than 11 of the other 11 Michigan cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Wayne house costs
What is the property tax rate in Wayne?
About 5.33% of taxable value a year for an owner's principal residence, or 7.13% without the Principal Residence Exemption (2025 tax year, Wayne County (Wayne-Westland Community Schools)).
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Wayne?
A house bought for $500,000 starts at about $250,000 of taxable value (50% of its value), so about $13,325 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 Wayne?
About $140 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Wayne.
How much does trash pickup cost in Wayne?
The City's millage information lists a garbage levy (Public Act 298 of 1917)
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Wayne?
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.
Where can I get help paying utility bills in Wayne?
Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP): WayneMetro Residents can call WayneMetro at 313-386-WRAP (9727) to set up an appointment.
How much does a house in Wayne cost to run each year?
A typical Wayne house costs about $8,700 a year: $4,210 property tax and charges, $1,670 water and sewer, $1,760 electricity, $1,060 home insurance; trash is paid through property tax. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.