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

Wisconsin Rapids, with a median closed price of $175,000 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	$175,000	$132	7.51%/yr	22	175	six months
2	Beloit	$200,000	$144	8.42%/yr	16	285	six months
3	Racine	$219,950	$165	6.79%/yr	12	480	six months
4	Milwaukee	$220,000	$162	5.16%/yr	18	3,818	six months
5	Oshkosh	$222,250	$160	6.37%/yr	46	486	six months
6	Wausau	$223,500	$140	6.65%/yr	15	315	six months
7	Manitowoc	$225,000	$151	7.66%/yr	33	271	six months
8	Sheboygan	$235,000	$172	9.36%/yr	15	362	six months
8	Fond Du Lac	$235,000	$157	6.27%/yr	39	321	six months
10	Marshfield	$242,000	$137	5.34%/yr	24	195	six months
11	La Crosse	$255,000	$178	6.43%/yr	5	368	six months
12	Green Bay	$280,500	$177	6.53%/yr	43	637	six months
13	West Allis	$285,000	$218	n/a	4	278	six months
14	Kenosha	$286,500	$197	5.98%/yr	9	524	six months
15	Janesville	$289,000	$172	6.91%/yr	19	566	six months

1. Wisconsin Rapids, $175,000

Homes in Wisconsin Rapids closed at a median of $175,000 over the last six months, about 51 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 $132, measured on 142 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, $200,000

The median closed price in Beloit is $200,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 59 percent of the state figure. 285 closings sit behind that figure, about 48 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $144 per square foot across 261 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 16 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. Racine, $219,950

Homes in Racine closed at a median of $219,950 over the last six months, about 65 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. Resideline tracked 480 closings there, roughly 80 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $165 per square foot across 384 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 12 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Racine market page.

4. Milwaukee, $220,000

Homes in Milwaukee closed at a median of $220,000 over the last six months, about 65 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 3,818 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 2,134 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 18 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Milwaukee market page.

5. Oshkosh, $222,250

Homes in Oshkosh closed at a median of $222,250 over the last six months, about 65 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 486 closings sit behind that figure, about 81 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $160, measured on 384 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 46 days. Full detail is on the Oshkosh market page.

6. Wausau, $223,500

The median closed price in Wausau is $223,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 66 percent of the state figure. 315 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 $140, measured on 267 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. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 15 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Wausau market page.

7. 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 271 closings there, roughly 45 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $151 per square foot across 221 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 33 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. Sheboygan, $235,000

Homes in Sheboygan closed at a median of $235,000 over the last six months, about 69 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 362 closings sit behind that figure, about 60 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $172 per square foot across 283 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 15 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Sheboygan 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 $157 per square foot across 253 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 39 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.

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 195 closings there, roughly 32 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $137 per square foot across 165 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 24 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. 368 closings sit behind that figure, about 61 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $178, measured on 249 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. Green Bay, $280,500

Green Bay's median closed price over the last six months was $280,500, around 82 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. 637 closings sit behind that figure, about 106 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $177, measured on 546 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 43 days. Full detail is on the Green Bay market page.

13. West Allis, $285,000

West Allis's median closed price over the last six months was $285,000, around 84 percent of what the typical Wisconsin sale closed at. Resideline tracked 278 closings there, roughly 46 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $218, measured on 207 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. Kenosha, $286,500

Homes in Kenosha closed at a median of $286,500 over the last six months, about 84 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 524 closings sit behind that figure, about 87 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $197 per square foot across 399 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.

15. Janesville, $289,000

Homes in Janesville closed at a median of $289,000 over the last six months, about 85 percent of the Wisconsin statewide median. 566 closings sit behind that figure, about 94 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $172 per square foot across 455 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 6.91 percent a year (1,027 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 19 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Janesville 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 September 5, 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.