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Homeownership is to the American dream. It offers , security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Wisconsin residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as and fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers and younger generations .

But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.

To find out where these cities are, ranked the most affordable cities in Wisconsin, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this .

#1. Appleton, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 28.6%
- Median sale price: $288,963
- Median household income: $77,450
- Income needed to buy: $73,790
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,845
- See homes for sale in Appleton on

#2. West Allis, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 29.6%
- Median sale price: $268,904
- Median household income: $69,685
- Income needed to buy: $68,668
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,717
- See homes for sale in West Allis on

#3. Caledonia, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 31.2%
- Median sale price: $371,140
- Median household income: $91,053
- Income needed to buy: $94,775
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,369
- See homes for sale in Caledonia on

#4. Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 31.3%
- Median sale price: $280,362
- Median household income: $68,532
- Income needed to buy: $71,594
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,790
- See homes for sale in Kenosha on

#5. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 32.8%
- Median sale price: $402,106
- Median household income: $93,859
- Income needed to buy: $102,683
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,567
- See homes for sale in Wauwatosa on

#6. Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 34.2%
- Median sale price: $553,884
- Median household income: $124,026
- Income needed to buy: $141,441
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,536
- See homes for sale in Brookfield on

#7. Oak Creek, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 34.5%
- Median sale price: $419,057
- Median household income: $93,120
- Income needed to buy: $107,012
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,675
- See homes for sale in Oak Creek on

#8. Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 35.7%
- Median sale price: $420,799
- Median household income: $90,189
- Income needed to buy: $107,457
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,686
- See homes for sale in Mount Pleasant on

#9. West Bend, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 35.8%
- Median sale price: $350,451
- Median household income: $75,043
- Income needed to buy: $89,492
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,237
- See homes for sale in West Bend on

#10. Waukesha, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 35.8%
- Median sale price: $381,582
- Median household income: $81,651
- Income needed to buy: $97,442
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,436
- See homes for sale in Waukesha on

#11. New Berlin, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 36.1%
- Median sale price: $458,786
- Median household income: $97,414
- Income needed to buy: $117,157
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,929
- See homes for sale in New Berlin on

#12. Franklin, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 36.1%
- Median sale price: $510,497
- Median household income: $108,342
- Income needed to buy: $130,362
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,259
- See homes for sale in Franklin on

#13. De Pere, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 36.4%
- Median sale price: $383,250
- Median household income: $80,550
- Income needed to buy: $97,868
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,447
- See homes for sale in De Pere on

#14. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 37.8%
- Median sale price: $485,944
- Median household income: $98,460
- Income needed to buy: $124,092
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,102
- See homes for sale in Menomonee Falls on

#15. Greenfield, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 38.4%
- Median sale price: $346,209
- Median household income: $69,016
- Income needed to buy: $88,409
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,210
- See homes for sale in Greenfield on

#16. Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 39.0%
- Median sale price: $461,001
- Median household income: $90,521
- Income needed to buy: $117,722
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,943
- See homes for sale in Sun Prairie on

#17. Fitchburg, Wisconsin
- Payment to income ratio: 47.4%
- Median sale price: $528,226
- Median household income: $85,420
- Income needed to buy: $134,889
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,372
- See homes for sale in Fitchburg on