The True Monthly Cost of an Ann Arbor Apartment

Rent is the number in the listing. It is not the number that leaves your bank account. The real monthly cost of an Ann Arbor apartment is rent plus electricity, water and sewer, internet, renters insurance, parking, and — if you have one — a pet.

This guide adds up the real number. Every figure below comes from a published source: winter DTE bills from a Packard Row two bedroom, the City of Ann Arbor's published water and sewer rates, NAIC insurance data, and advertised internet pricing. Where a cost varies by household, the table says so. For the rent side of the equation — by neighborhood and building age — see what Ann Arbor apartments cost in 2026.

The line items beyond rent

Line item	Typical monthly cost	What drives it
Electricity (DTE)	$90 to $140 for a 2BR in January	Heating load, thermostat habits, remote-work hours
Water + sewer	~$55 to $60	City rates effective July 1, 2026; billed quarterly
Internet	$40 to $80	Speed tier; entry promos advertise around $30 to $40
Renters insurance	~$15	Michigan average premium, NAIC 2022 data
Parking	Varies	Off-street lot; the leasing office has the current monthly cost
Pet	$50 per pet, plus $250 one-time	Packard Row's published pet rent and fee

Electricity is the biggest line after rent, and the one where building age shows. January electric for a Packard Row two bedroom runs $90 to $140 on DTE — the figure we published in the Michigan winter apartment test. Shoulder months come in lower because the heating and cooling load drops. The 2025 envelope and high-efficiency equipment are doing the work.

Water and sewer are billed by the city, quarterly. At the rates effective July 1, 2026, residential water starts at $2.86 per CCF for the first block, sewer runs $6.92 per CCF, and the fixed charges add up to $51.19 per quarter on a standard residential meter. A two-person household using about 4 CCF a month lands near $58 a month — about $52 if you pay by the due date and take the city's 10 percent discount.

Internet. Xfinity and AT&T Fiber both serve the Packard corridor at multi-gigabit residential plans. As of mid-2026, entry plans advertise around $30 to $40 a month before introductory pricing expires; most households land between $40 and $80 depending on speed tier.

Renters insurance. The Michigan average premium is $180 a year — about $15 a month — per NAIC data published by the Insurance Information Institute (2022, the latest year published).

Parking. Packard Row has an off-street lot. Availability and monthly cost change, so this is the one line we deliberately leave open: contact the leasing office for the current number.

Pet. At Packard Row, $50 a month per pet plus a $250 one-time fee, up to two pets. If you don't have one, the line is zero.

The worked example: a Packard Row two bedroom

Take the Hemlock — 900 square feet, two bedrooms, two full baths, $2,749 a month. A two-person household, no pet, mid-tier internet:

• Rent: $2,749
• Electricity, January: $90 to $140
• Water and sewer: ~$58
• Internet: ~$55
• Renters insurance: ~$15

Total: roughly $2,950 to $3,050 in January. In April or October, when neither heat nor air conditioning runs hard, the same household lands closer to $2,900. Add a cat and the range moves up $50.

The assumptions are stated so you can adjust them: two people, about 4 CCF of water a month, a mid-tier internet plan, parking excluded pending the office's current quote.

The same household in older stock

This comparison matters because older Ann Arbor two bedrooms advertise lower rents. Run the same household through a 1970s two bedroom and the numbers shift. The same January heating load costs half again as much or more — the gap we measured in the winter guide — which is $45 to $70 a month in electricity alone. Coin laundry adds the trip-and-quarters routine that in-unit laundry eliminates. The 24-hour fitness room replaces a gym membership you would otherwise buy.

None of these lines is large on its own. Stacked, they routinely close most of a $200 to $300 rent gap. It is the same math that decides Packard Row versus downtown, run on utilities instead of location.

What your rent already covers

At Packard Row, management covers recycling, snow removal, and trash. Residents pay for cable, electricity, internet, sewer, and water. The amenity stack — 24-hour fitness, clubhouse, package lockers, bike room, rooftop deck — carries no separate fee line. The number that matters is the sum, not the rent.

The floor plans, priced today

Plan	Layout	Sq ft	Rent	Availability
Walnut	1 bed, 1 bath	608	$2,250	Available August 14, 2026
Tamarack	1 bed, 1 bath	608	$2,300	Available
Chestnut	2 bed, 2 bath	838	$2,740	Available
Hemlock	2 bed, 2 bath	900	$2,749	Available
Pine	2 bed, 2 bath	1,022	$2,500 to $3,015	Available

Pricing and availability as of this writing; both change. Deposits are based on credit, and leases run 12 months.

If the all-in math works for your budget, tour the building. The leasing office can quote your specific plan, the current parking cost, and your deposit amount in one conversation.