What is the cheapest city to buy a house in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Rapids, with a median closed price of $180,000 over its reporting window, among Wisconsin cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the city limits.

Are these asking prices or sale prices?

Closed sale prices. Every price median is the price homes actually closed at inside the municipal boundary, not a listing price. The one column measured differently is realized appreciation, which uses the postal city, as the note under the table says.

Why does a cheap city show a high price per square foot?

Because the ranking median covers every property type that closed, condos and multi-family included, while the $/sqft column is single-family houses only. In cities where most sales are condos, the median price is low and the house $/sqft can still be high.

Is the appreciation figure a forecast?

No. It is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home, on repeat-sale pairs. It is historical and nominal, and it says what happened, not what will.

Cheapest Cities to Buy a House in Wisconsin (2026)

Every Wisconsin city below cleared 100 closings in its window and is ranked by the median price homes actually closed at, not the asking price. The columns beside it are the questions that follow a low price: what you pay per square foot, what the same homes did on resale, and how quickly listings go.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Wisconsin Rapids	$180,000	$140	7.51%/yr	22	175	six months
2	Beloit	$205,000	$144	8.42%/yr	15	297	six months
3	Milwaukee	$218,000	$162	5.16%/yr	19	3,813	six months
4	Racine	$221,250	$166	6.79%/yr	14	486	six months
5	Oshkosh	$225,000	$164	6.37%/yr	45	477	six months
5	Wausau	$225,000	$141	6.65%/yr	39	314	six months
5	Manitowoc	$225,000	$154	7.66%/yr	32	282	six months
8	Fond Du Lac	$235,000	$158	6.27%/yr	35	321	six months
9	Sheboygan	$240,000	$174	9.36%/yr	20	354	six months
10	Marshfield	$242,000	$140	5.34%/yr	21	193	six months
11	La Crosse	$255,000	$176	6.43%/yr	5	397	six months
12	Neenah	$267,500	$184	6.96%/yr	45	198	six months
13	West Allis	$283,000	$214	n/a	4	327	six months
14	Green Bay	$283,800	$180	6.53%/yr	42	664	six months
15	Kenosha	$285,000	$196	5.98%/yr	9	564	six months

1. Wisconsin Rapids, $180,000

Homes in Wisconsin Rapids closed at a median of $180,000 over the last six months, about 53 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. Resideline tracked 175 closings there, roughly 29 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $140, measured on 140 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.51 percent a year between those sales, on 633 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Wisconsin Rapids market page.

2. Beloit, $205,000

The median closed price in Beloit is $205,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 60 percent of the state figure. 297 closings sit behind that figure, about 50 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $144 per square foot across 271 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 8.42 percent a year between those sales, on 585 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 15 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 8.1 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Beloit market page.

3. Milwaukee, $218,000

Homes in Milwaukee closed at a median of $218,000 over the last six months, about 64 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 3,813 closings sit behind that figure, about 636 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $162, measured on 2,147 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.16 percent a year between those sales, on 18,966 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 19 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Milwaukee market page.

4. Racine, $221,250

Homes in Racine closed at a median of $221,250 over the last six months, about 65 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. Resideline tracked 486 closings there, roughly 81 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $166 per square foot across 390 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.79 percent a year (2,177 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 14 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Racine market page.

5. Oshkosh, $225,000

Homes in Oshkosh closed at a median of $225,000 over the last six months, about 66 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 477 closings sit behind that figure, about 80 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $164, measured on 382 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 6.37 percent a year between those sales, on 2,021 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 45 days. Full detail is on the Oshkosh market page.

5. Wausau, $225,000

The median closed price in Wausau is $225,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 66 percent of the state figure. 314 closings sit behind that figure, about 52 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $141, measured on 261 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.65 percent a year (737 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 39 days to go under contract, across 35 listed closings. Full detail is on the Wausau market page.

5. Manitowoc, $225,000

Manitowoc's median closed price over the last six months was $225,000, around 66 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. Resideline tracked 282 closings there, roughly 47 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $154 per square foot across 234 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 7.66 percent a year between those sales, on 670 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home took 32 days to go under contract, across 78 listed closings. About 6.5 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Manitowoc market page.

8. Fond Du Lac, $235,000

Homes in Fond Du Lac closed at a median of $235,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. Resideline tracked 321 closings there, roughly 54 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $158 per square foot across 258 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.27 percent a year (1,289 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 35 days. About 7.1 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Fond Du Lac market page.

9. Sheboygan, $240,000

Homes in Sheboygan closed at a median of $240,000 over the last six months, about 71 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 354 closings sit behind that figure, about 59 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $174 per square foot across 279 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 9.36 percent a year between those sales, on 630 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 20 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Sheboygan market page.

10. Marshfield, $242,000

Marshfield's median closed price over the last six months was $242,000, around 71 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. Resideline tracked 193 closings there, roughly 32 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $140 per square foot across 155 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 5.34 percent a year between those sales, on 343 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 21 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Marshfield market page.

11. La Crosse, $255,000

La Crosse's median closed price over the last six months was $255,000, around 75 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. 397 closings sit behind that figure, about 66 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $176, measured on 271 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.43 percent a year (1,121 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 5 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the La Crosse market page.

12. Neenah, $267,500

Neenah's median closed price over the last six months was $267,500, around 79 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. 198 closings sit behind that figure, about 33 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $184, measured on 162 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.96 percent a year (1,435 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 45 days to go under contract, across 59 listed closings. Full detail is on the Neenah market page.

13. West Allis, $283,000

West Allis's median closed price over the last six months was $283,000, around 83 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. Resideline tracked 327 closings there, roughly 54 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $214, measured on 245 sales. The median listed home was under contract in 4 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the West Allis market page.

14. Green Bay, $283,800

Green Bay's median closed price over the last six months was $283,800, around 83 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. 664 closings sit behind that figure, about 111 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $180, measured on 579 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.53 percent a year (4,130 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 42 days. Full detail is on the Green Bay market page.

15. Kenosha, $285,000

Homes in Kenosha closed at a median of $285,000 over the last six months, about 84 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 564 closings sit behind that figure, about 94 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $196 per square foot across 439 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 5.98 percent a year (921 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 9 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Kenosha market page.

Note: realized appreciation is the one column measured on the postal city, from repeat sales of the same home across the ZIP codes that share the city's name; every other figure is confined to the municipal boundary.

How to read this list

A low median is where the analysis starts, not where it ends. Property type, size, condition and block move a number far more than the city line does, so check any address on this list against its own comparable closings.

Figures last updated October 3, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked. Appreciation is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home; it is historical, nominal and not a projection.