?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Appleton, WI vs Janesville, WI

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Appleton needs about $86,000 in Janesville to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Janesville, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $84,000 in Appleton.

A few differences

Appleton vs Janesville · facet by facet
FacetAppleton, WIJanesville, WI
Median home price$231,400$223,400
2-bedroom rent$1,044/mo$1,067/mo
Property tax rate1.61%1.61%
State & local income tax3.17%3.17%
Sales tax5.7%5.7%
Cost of living index8483
Groceries index9696
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$80,483$73,446
Unemployment rate3%3%
Crime index38/10038/100
School rating6.7/106.7/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Appleton, WI · Janesville, WI
Questions & answers
Is Appleton cheaper than Janesville?
Janesville has the lower day-to-day cost index (83 vs 84 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Janesville equals $85,000 in Appleton?
A household earning $85,000 in Appleton needs about $86,000 in Janesville to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Janesville lifestyle costs about $84,000 in Appleton.