The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Wisconsin For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in Wisconsin that will put a big dent in your wallet.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the most expensive places to live in Wisconsin.

Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Wisconsin does this very well. Families love the Badger State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.

But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.

These are the places in Wisconsin that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.

After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Wisconsin for 2023.

So where is the most expensive place to live in Wisconsin? That would be Middleton.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 141 places in Wisconsin with more than 5,000 people.

Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Wisconsin for 2023:

  1. Middleton
  2. Madison
  3. Delafield
  4. Fitchburg
  5. Lake Geneva
  6. Pewaukee
  7. Whitewater
  8. McFarland
  9. Hudson
  10. New Berlin

What's the most expensive place to live in Wisconsin? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Middleton is the most expensive place to live in Wisconsin.

So hopefully Rothschild (the cheapest place to live in Wisconsin) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.

And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Wisconsin and the most expensive cities in the country:

The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Wisconsin For 2023

1. Middleton

Middleton, WI

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 21,634
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.0x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.1x (33rd most expensive)
More on Middleton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Middleton comes in at $78,537 and the median home value is $395,000 for 2023.

2. Madison

Madison, WI

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 265,447
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (7th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 58.1x (9th most expensive)
More on Madison: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Madison comes in at $70,466 and the median home value is $277,800 for 2023.

3. Delafield

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,172
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.4x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.6x (38th most expensive)
More on Delafield: Real Estate | Data

The median income in Delafield comes in at $87,045 and the median home value is $383,100 for 2023.

4. Fitchburg

Fitchburg, WI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 29,361
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.3x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.5x (37th most expensive)
More on Fitchburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Fitchburg comes in at $78,218 and the median home value is $340,000 for 2023.

5. Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva, WI

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,300
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.2x (8th most expensive)
More on Lake Geneva: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Lake Geneva comes in at $59,162 and the median home value is $232,200 for 2023.

6. Pewaukee

Pewaukee, WI

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,203
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (9th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.4x (7th most expensive)
More on Pewaukee: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Pewaukee comes in at $59,569 and the median home value is $219,500 for 2023.

7. Whitewater

Whitewater, WI

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 14,369
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.6x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 47.1x (most expensive)
More on Whitewater: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Whitewater comes in at $39,172 and the median home value is $179,400 for 2023.

8. Mcfarland

Mcfarland, WI

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 9,026
Rank Last Year: 18 (Up 10)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.4x (18th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 68.1x (4most expensive)
More on Mcfarland: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Mcfarland comes in at $83,865 and the median home value is $285,300 for 2023.

9. Hudson

Hudson, WI

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 14,500
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (23rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.2x (34th most expensive)
More on Hudson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Hudson comes in at $85,521 and the median home value is $282,900 for 2023.

10. New Berlin

New Berlin, WI

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 40,289
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (28th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.0x (32nd most expensive)
More on New Berlin: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in New Berlin comes in at $87,248 and the median home value is $282,300 for 2023.

Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Badger State For 2023

Map Of The Cheapest Places To Live In Wisconsin
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:

  1. How much do money do I make?
  2. How much do I have spend to live there?

You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.

For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.

With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2017-2021 around incomes and costs. They are:

  • Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
  • Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
  • Median Home Price

We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).

You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Wisconsin to figure out which is the most expensive.

What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.

So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 141 places in Wisconsin that have more than 5,000 people.

The place with the highest cost of living in Wisconsin according to the data is Middleton. You can download the data here.

Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Wisconsin For 2023

Well there you have it, the places in Wisconsin that have the highest cost of living, with Middleton ranking as the most expensive city in the Badger State.

Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Wisconsin according to the data:

  1. Rothschild
  2. Two Rivers
  3. Waupun

For more Wisconsin reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Wisconsin

Rank City ExpensiveScore Population Home/Income Ratio Income/Rent Ratio
1 Middleton 12.67 21,634 5.0x 67.1x
2 Madison 15.5 265,447 3.9x 58.1x
3 Delafield 15.67 7,172 4.4x 67.6x
4 Fitchburg 18.0 29,361 4.3x 67.5x
5 Lake Geneva 21.33 8,300 3.9x 57.2x
6 Pewaukee 24.17 8,203 3.7x 55.4x
7 Whitewater 25.67 14,369 4.6x 47.1x
8 Mcfarland 27.67 9,026 3.4x 68.1x
9 Hudson 27.67 14,500 3.3x 67.2x
10 New Berlin 29.0 40,289 3.2x 67.0x
11 Mequon 30.0 24,814 3.0x 66.1x
12 Brookfield 30.67 41,020 3.1x 69.4x
13 Shorewood 33.33 13,734 4.4x 76.9x
14 Stoughton 35.0 13,158 3.5x 68.2x
15 Verona 38.67 13,798 3.4x 74.7x
16 La Crosse 39.33 52,505 3.4x 53.9x
17 St. Francis 40.0 9,254 3.5x 62.0x
18 Waukesha 40.67 71,307 3.2x 69.5x
19 Rice Lake 41.0 8,851 3.7x 53.1x
20 Greenfield 41.0 37,623 3.1x 61.6x
21 River Falls 41.33 16,058 3.5x 72.8x
22 Sun Prairie 41.33 35,528 3.2x 71.2x
23 Monona 41.33 8,560 3.7x 78.0x
24 Oak Creek 41.67 36,266 3.1x 67.7x
25 Menomonie 41.67 16,721 3.4x 58.4x
26 Waterford 42.83 5,541 3.1x 68.8x
27 Platteville 43.33 11,774 3.4x 58.2x
28 Mount Horeb 44.0 7,727 3.5x 78.5x
29 Pleasant Prairie 45.67 21,193 3.0x 70.0x
30 Pewaukee 48.0 15,589 3.2x 79.2x
31 Hales Corners 48.67 7,704 3.0x 69.5x
32 Cedarburg 49.33 12,109 4.2x 87.6x
33 Bellevue 49.33 15,922 3.2x 71.6x
34 Elm Grove 49.67 6,456 3.6x 91.9x
35 West Salem 50.0 5,225 3.0x 67.3x
36 Stevens Point 52.33 25,752 3.1x 61.8x
37 Fox Point 52.67 6,886 2.9x 74.4x
38 Lake Hallie 53.0 7,099 2.9x 65.7x
39 Howard 53.0 19,828 3.3x 76.8x
40 Hartland 53.67 9,457 3.4x 84.3x
41 Port Washington 56.5 12,273 3.1x 74.0x
42 Oregon 56.67 11,100 3.3x 85.5x
43 Menomonee Falls 56.67 38,219 3.0x 76.1x
44 Hartford 57.33 15,526 3.1x 74.3x
45 Franklin 58.0 36,685 3.1x 79.4x
46 Waunakee 59.0 14,679 3.2x 108.5x
47 Kenosha 59.33 99,605 2.8x 60.5x
48 Milwaukee 59.67 578,198 3.0x 49.8x
49 Grafton 60.17 12,081 3.2x 82.3x
50 Sturgeon Bay 60.67 9,540 3.0x 60.2x
51 Glendale 61.0 13,313 2.9x 73.9x
52 Muskego 61.0 24,991 3.1x 87.4x
53 Sussex 61.0 11,398 3.2x 89.0x
54 Slinger 61.33 5,946 3.3x 87.9x
55 South Milwaukee 61.67 20,785 2.8x 64.9x
56 Greendale 61.83 14,735 3.1x 78.1x
57 Germa 63.0 20,780 3.0x 81.0x
58 Onalaska 63.0 18,760 3.1x 77.6x
59 Wauwatosa 63.33 48,072 2.9x 76.0x
60 Whitefish Bay 63.33 14,818 3.1x 105.4x
61 Reedsburg 63.67 9,942 3.0x 69.4x
62 Watertown 65.0 23,030 2.8x 62.3x
63 Eau Claire 65.33 69,030 2.9x 71.2x
64 Ashwaubenon 65.67 17,042 3.1x 74.5x
65 Richfield 66.67 11,704 3.0x 99.8x
66 Chippewa Falls 67.0 14,581 2.8x 63.7x
67 Altoona 68.33 8,244 2.9x 71.8x
68 Holmen 69.67 10,613 2.9x 75.8x
69 West Bend 69.67 31,639 2.9x 73.0x
70 Oconomowoc 70.0 17,969 3.0x 91.3x
71 Mukwonago 70.33 8,255 3.1x 88.1x
72 Cottage Grove 70.33 7,255 2.8x 83.5x
73 Deforest 72.17 10,700 2.8x 79.2x
74 Sturtevant 72.33 6,970 2.5x 67.3x
75 Tomah 72.67 9,515 2.7x 59.7x
76 Portage 72.83 10,351 2.7x 63.9x
77 West Allis 73.67 60,220 2.7x 66.7x
78 Burlington 74.67 10,971 3.0x 83.5x
79 Hobart 75.67 9,872 2.9x 109.2x
80 Jefferson 76.67 7,821 2.7x 71.5x
81 Racine 77.0 77,705 2.6x 54.0x
82 Bristol 77.33 5,155 2.8x 85.2x
83 Elkhorn 77.67 10,267 2.8x 77.7x
84 Suamico 77.83 12,774 2.7x 82.5x
85 Green Bay 78.17 107,083 2.7x 68.6x
86 Twin Lakes 78.67 6,306 2.8x 80.6x
87 New Richmond 79.33 9,908 3.0x 84.1x
88 Baraboo 80.67 12,446 2.7x 71.9x
89 Superior 81.0 26,601 2.6x 65.9x
90 Lake Mills 81.33 6,194 2.8x 81.3x
91 Plover 82.67 13,435 2.7x 77.8x
92 Janesville 83.0 65,506 2.5x 69.4x
93 Oshkosh 83.17 66,694 2.6x 67.0x
94 Prairie Du Chien 84.67 5,549 2.6x 64.1x
95 Little Chute 85.33 11,652 2.5x 71.3x
96 Cudahy 87.0 18,197 2.6x 73.9x
97 Fort Atkinson 87.83 12,529 2.5x 74.3x
98 Rhinelander 89.0 8,177 2.2x 51.6x
99 Mount Pleasant 89.33 27,572 2.7x 91.0x
100 Wausau 90.0 39,745 2.4x 65.1x

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About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.