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Rent vs buy in Appleton, WI

The typical rent in Appleton, Wisconsin is $1,185 /mo, and the typical home price is $304,619.

Rent vs buy Appleton verdict card: Renting comes out ahead by $66k over 7 years
Rent

Renting comes out ahead by $66k over 7 years

Using 20% down and today's mortgage rate, the calculation relies on Appleton's typical rent and home value. Within 30 years, break-even doesn't happen.

An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust any number and the stamp adjusts too.

Renting leads by
$66k
after 7 years
Point where it breaks even
30 years or more
owning never catches up sooner
Owning's real cost
$2,810 a month
year 1, against $1,185 rent

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The stamp draws on the typical rent and home value in Appleton's market. Your rent, price and time period may change the result.

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Is renting or buying cheaper in Appleton?

Over 7 years, renting costs less by $65,568 once you count the money you get back when you sell. In every year shown, renting's net cost sits under owning's, and owning never catches up inside 30 years.

Renting. Owning. For each year, here's the net cost so far.

$0$100k$200k$300kyr 1yr 5yr 9yr 13yr 17yr 21yr 25yr 29yr 30

Appleton's average rent compared with the mortgage payment

Rent and mortgage payments don't tell you everything, so here is every monthly cost at Appleton's typical price, for year 1.

Each month, year 1AmountWhat it is
Rent$1,185All of it, every month
Mortgage payment$1,661$1,464 of it is interest in year 1
Property tax$3931.55% of the value a year
Insurance$77Census median for the city
Upkeep$2541% of the value a year
Owning, cash out$2,385$197 of it builds equity
Lost return on the down payment$495Earnings on that cash at 8.3% a year
Buying costs, spread out$1273.5% of the price over 7 years
True cost of owning$2,810Cash out, minus the equity portion, plus both lines listed above

Behind the Appleton verdict: the numbers

Typical home valueZillow ZHVI, September 2026
$304,619
Typical rentZillow ZORI, September 2026
$1,185 /mo
Down payment20% avoids private mortgage insurance, which the engine does not model
20%
Mortgage rateFreddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
7.24%
Home price growthFHFA house price index, Wisconsin, 1995 to 2025
4.1% a year
Rent growthCPI rent of primary residence, yearly growth 2006 to 2026
3.5% a year
Return on savings60% S&P 500 with dividends and 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced yearly, 1928 to 2025
8.3% a year
Property taxCensus ACS 2020-2024, Appleton
1.55% of value
Home insuranceCensus ACS 2020-2024, Appleton
$77 /mo
MaintenanceFannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
1% of value a year
Buying costsFreddie Mac, middle of 2% to 5%
3.5% of price
Selling costsAgent commission plus closing costs
6% of price

Which changes would flip the Appleton verdict?

Every line marks the point where Appleton's 7-year verdict flips, with all other numbers left as they are.

When renting wins

  • Price growth stays under 6.7% a year; we use Wisconsin's long-run rate of 4.1%.
  • The rate stays above 3.36% on your mortgage.
  • Rent on a home like this runs below $1,890 a month (the typical rent here is $1,185).
  • Move at any time in the next 30 years and owning still won't catch up at these figures.

When buying wins

  • Home prices climb at more than 6.7% each year.
  • You secure a mortgage rate below 3.36% (the current rate is 7.24%).
  • That same home would cost over $1,890 a month to rent.

Appleton compared with the other 812 cities

MeasureAppletonMedian city
Typical home value$304,619$422,451
Typical rent$1,185 /mo$1,837 /mo
Price-to-rent ratio21.4 (#271 of 813)18.5
Home prices, last 10 years8.3% a year6.2% a year
Property tax1.55%0.87%
Households that rent33%42%

Sources: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.

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