Wisconsin Cost of Living
Housing costs and affordability data for 72 counties.
Average Monthly Rent
$916/mo
Average Home Value
$234,086
Average Owner Cost
$1,072/mo
County cost atlas
Wisconsin housing costs by county
Compare rent, entry-price context, owner costs, and cost score in one state view. Pin a county, switch layers, then open the full county profile when a place needs closer review.
Counties
72
Avg rent
$916/mo
Owner cost
$1,072/mo
Avg score
41.2
Higher means lower cost pressure
Atlas layers use U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates. Rent, owner cost, and home value are county medians. Cost score rewards lower rent and lower owner costs, but affordability still depends on income, household size, commute, debt, and personal finances. Use this as decision context, not personalized financial advice.
State Cost Summary
Use these state averages as a starting point, then scan the atlas and rankings for the county-level spread behind them.
Housing Costs in Wisconsin: An Overview
The unweighted mean of county median rents in Wisconsin is $916 per month, which is 35% below the national ACS median of $1,413. This gives every county equal weight and is not an official statewide median.
Within Wisconsin, housing costs vary significantly by county. Dane County has the highest median rent in this dataset at $1,398 per month and a median home value of $394,800. Forest County has the lowest reported median rent at $594 per month and a median home value of $185,000.
The unweighted mean of county median home values in Wisconsin is $234,086, 30% lower than the national ACS median of $332,700. The unweighted mean of county median household incomes is $73,469; neither figure is a household-weighted statewide estimate.
Before comparing places in Wisconsin, start with the county-level pattern. Costs can swing dramatically between rural and urban counties. Use the atlas, rankings, and county links below to compare rent, home values, owner costs, and rent burden before opening a specific county profile.
Distribution
Rent Distribution in Wisconsin
How median rents are spread across 72 counties
Highest Median Rent Counties
Lowest Median Rent Counties
All Wisconsin Counties
Sorted by median rent, highest first. A higher cost score means lower rent and owner cost pressure within the national scoring model.
| County | Median Rent | Home Value | Owner Cost | Cost Score | Rent/Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County | $1,000–$1,500$1,398/mo | $394,800 | $1,780/mo | 7.8 | 29.1% |
| Waukesha County | $1,000–$1,500$1,356/mo | $398,200 | $1,645/mo | 9.5 | 27.9% |
| St. Croix County | $1,000–$1,500$1,271/mo | $377,700 | $1,674/mo | 10.7 | 23.1% |
| Kenosha County | $1,000–$1,500$1,219/mo | $265,500 | $1,347/mo | 15.3 | 28.7% |
| Ozaukee County | $1,000–$1,500$1,154/mo | $390,200 | $1,610/mo | 13.8 | 25.5% |
| Washington County | $1,000–$1,500$1,153/mo | $344,800 | $1,469/mo | 15.2 | 28.0% |
| Walworth County | $1,000–$1,500$1,150/mo | $302,700 | $1,384/mo | 16.6 | 27.0% |
| Milwaukee County | $1,000–$1,500$1,101/mo | $230,700 | $1,357/mo | 18.6 | 29.3% |
| Door County | $1,000–$1,500$1,086/mo | $342,600 | $1,094/mo | 25.3 | 26.5% |
| Racine County | $1,000–$1,500$1,080/mo | $251,400 | $1,332/mo | 19.9 | 27.3% |
| Calumet County | $1,000–$1,500$1,073/mo | $274,200 | $1,248/mo | 21.5 | 26.2% |
| Eau Claire County | $1,000–$1,500$1,064/mo | $261,000 | $1,193/mo | 23.0 | 24.8% |
| La Crosse County | $1,000–$1,500$1,059/mo | $257,000 | $1,239/mo | 22.3 | 27.6% |
| Outagamie County | $1,000–$1,500$1,057/mo | $267,300 | $1,206/mo | 23.1 | 24.1% |
| Pierce County | $1,000–$1,500$1,044/mo | $333,700 | $1,490/mo | 18.8 | 25.0% |
| Rock County | $1,000–$1,500$1,037/mo | $231,600 | $1,168/mo | 24.8 | 26.7% |
| Jefferson County | $1,000–$1,500$1,035/mo | $274,100 | $1,356/mo | 21.1 | 24.4% |
| Brown County | $1,000–$1,500$1,031/mo | $266,000 | $1,229/mo | 23.9 | 25.7% |
| Sauk County | $1,000–$1,500$1,018/mo | $258,600 | $1,249/mo | 23.9 | 25.9% |
| Marathon County | Under $1,000$999/mo | $219,600 | $1,050/mo | 30.8 | 25.7% |
| Dodge County | Under $1,000$988/mo | $231,900 | $1,164/mo | 27.3 | 22.9% |
| Dunn County | Under $1,000$985/mo | $243,200 | $1,211/mo | 26.4 | 25.6% |
| Columbia County | Under $1,000$978/mo | $283,200 | $1,293/mo | 25.3 | 23.9% |
| Winnebago County | Under $1,000$965/mo | $225,800 | $1,141/mo | 29.6 | 26.1% |
| Chippewa County | Under $1,000$963/mo | $257,900 | $1,059/mo | 32.5 | 26.7% |
| Fond du Lac County | Under $1,000$960/mo | $222,800 | $1,073/mo | 32.3 | 25.3% |
| Polk County | Under $1,000$957/mo | $271,900 | $1,164/mo | 29.3 | 23.8% |
| Iowa County | Under $1,000$954/mo | $265,000 | $1,197/mo | 28.6 | 23.7% |
| Trempealeau County | Under $1,000$949/mo | $216,700 | $1,087/mo | 32.4 | 23.4% |
| Portage County | Under $1,000$940/mo | $243,100 | $1,042/mo | 34.8 | 26.0% |
| Sheboygan County | Under $1,000$934/mo | $232,700 | $1,059/mo | 34.6 | 24.0% |
| Monroe County | Under $1,000$914/mo | $210,000 | $984/mo | 39.3 | 25.7% |
| Douglas County | Under $1,000$909/mo | $205,800 | $1,079/mo | 35.9 | 27.6% |
| Oneida County | Under $1,000$885/mo | $238,400 | $886/mo | 47.2 | 25.2% |
| Barron County | Under $1,000$879/mo | $216,600 | $955/mo | 44.0 | 27.9% |
| Juneau County | Under $1,000$879/mo | $177,700 | $946/mo | 44.4 | 24.5% |
| Buffalo County | Under $1,000$876/mo | $213,300 | $1,068/mo | 39.4 | 24.3% |
| Rusk County | Under $1,000$874/mo | $163,400 | $856/mo | 50.4 | 26.6% |
| Pepin County | Under $1,000$869/mo | $214,800 | $1,015/mo | 41.9 | 28.5% |
| Green County | Under $1,000$867/mo | $250,200 | $1,260/mo | 34.7 | 22.9% |
| Wood County | Under $1,000$856/mo | $175,600 | $863/mo | 51.9 | 25.7% |
| Waupaca County | Under $1,000$852/mo | $211,400 | $1,055/mo | 42.3 | 27.3% |
| Kewaunee County | Under $1,000$847/mo | $222,200 | $1,031/mo | 43.9 | 22.9% |
| Vilas County | Under $1,000$847/mo | $300,000 | $890/mo | 50.9 | 22.4% |
| Vernon County | Under $1,000$836/mo | $223,800 | $978/mo | 47.3 | 20.2% |
| Lafayette County | Under $1,000$830/mo | $194,500 | $1,101/mo | 43.2 | 25.0% |
| Adams County | Under $1,000$828/mo | $200,800 | $857/mo | 55.4 | 24.4% |
| Clark County | Under $1,000$823/mo | $172,800 | $885/mo | 54.0 | 22.3% |
| Taylor County | Under $1,000$823/mo | $197,100 | $976/mo | 48.9 | 24.6% |
| Shawano County | Under $1,000$821/mo | $194,000 | $939/mo | 51.0 | 26.4% |
| Green Lake County | Under $1,000$818/mo | $215,400 | $985/mo | 49.0 | 26.7% |
| Grant County | Under $1,000$813/mo | $200,700 | $959/mo | 50.9 | 27.2% |
| Bayfield County | Under $1,000$812/mo | $240,800 | $896/mo | 54.5 | 24.1% |
| Marquette County | Under $1,000$800/mo | $210,400 | $982/mo | 51.2 | 25.1% |
| Manitowoc County | Under $1,000$797/mo | $186,900 | $894/mo | 56.3 | 22.3% |
| Waushara County | Under $1,000$796/mo | $203,100 | $933/mo | 54.1 | 25.6% |
| Marinette County | Under $1,000$795/mo | $158,600 | $765/mo | 65.5 | 23.4% |
| Washburn County | Under $1,000$795/mo | $226,100 | $910/mo | 55.4 | 29.7% |
| Oconto County | Under $1,000$791/mo | $231,400 | $974/mo | 52.6 | 24.1% |
| Crawford County | Under $1,000$789/mo | $183,400 | $816/mo | 62.6 | 22.7% |
| Jackson County | Under $1,000$787/mo | $196,100 | $993/mo | 52.3 | 23.5% |
| Price County | Under $1,000$786/mo | $162,500 | $771/mo | 66.3 | 22.3% |
| Burnett County | Under $1,000$771/mo | $231,300 | $813/mo | 65.2 | 26.9% |
| Richland County | Under $1,000$771/mo | $197,500 | $924/mo | 57.8 | 25.2% |
| Lincoln County | Under $1,000$755/mo | $192,700 | $883/mo | 62.4 | 30.8% |
| Florence County | Under $1,000$750/mo | $173,200 | $803/mo | 68.2 | 27.0% |
| Ashland County | Under $1,000$721/mo | $170,300 | $897/mo | 64.3 | 25.2% |
| Sawyer County | Under $1,000$712/mo | $236,200 | $875/mo | 66.7 | 22.5% |
| Langlade County | Under $1,000$702/mo | $158,200 | $679/mo | 81.3 | 27.8% |
| Iron County | Under $1,000$662/mo | $165,900 | $745/mo | 79.0 | 24.9% |
| Menominee County | Under $1,000$626/mo | $110,200 | $705/mo | 83.7 | 19.9% |
| Forest County | Under $1,000$594/mo | $185,000 | $773/mo | 79.3 | 19.8% |
Compare Wisconsin to Other States
See how Wisconsin counties stack up against counties in other states. Compare rent, home values, and affordability side by side.
Start a ComparisonFrequently Asked Questions About Wisconsin Housing Costs
Which Wisconsin county has the lowest median rent?
Which Wisconsin county has the highest median rent?
How does Wisconsin's cost of living compare to the national average?
What is the unweighted county-mean home value in Wisconsin?
Planning a Move?
Researching the cost of living in Wisconsin, Wisconsin? Compare moving quotes from top providers and save on your relocation.
Compare Moving QuotesData: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2020-2024). Data is informational only and is not personalized financial advice.