United States · Wisconsin

Wisconsin mortgage calculator

Estimate your monthly payment in Wisconsin — principal & interest, property tax, and insurance — using the live national average rate and Wisconsin's estimated ~1.73% effective property tax rate. Adjust any figure below.

Data researched & maintained by Robinjit Singh · Last verified June 2026

Affording a home in Wisconsin

Stretched

Income gap

+$10,000

$10,000 more yearly income than the typical household here earns is what a median home asks — the reason many buyers combine two incomes, buy smaller, or put more down.

Median home price

$278,000

The statewide middle — half of homes cost less, half more.

Income needed

$80,000

To qualify at the standard 28% rule with 20% down.

Typical household income

$70,000

What the median household here actually earns.

A median Wisconsin home costs $278k and needs $10k more annual income than the typical household earns.

Median is a statewide figure — expensive cities and more affordable rural areas vary widely.

Source: Zillow ZHVI · U.S. Census ACS · Splitero · Verified 2026-06-30

A single median income can qualify in Wisconsin — here's what that looks like

The typical Wisconsin household earns $70,000/year. To buy a median-priced home here, lenders generally want to see $80,000/year — which a single median income can cover. Wisconsin is one of the more accessible markets in the country right now.

The roles and income paths that commonly reach it in Wisconsin are listed below — some single high-earning roles, some two incomes combined.

Roles and income paths that commonly meet the income in Wisconsin

Nurse
Teacher
Engineer
Government worker

Pay varies widely by employer, experience, and city — these are paths that often (not always) reach the income needed, not a guarantee for any individual. Entries like “+ partner income” mean two incomes combined.

First-time buyer programs available in Wisconsin

WHEDA Advantage Conventional
WHEDA Easy Close DPA

Programs and their terms change — verify current availability and eligibility with the official state housing agency before relying on any of these.

What makes Wisconsin legally different for homebuyers

Wisconsin provides a 12-month post-sale redemption period for most residential properties — one of the longer ones in the country. Wisconsin homeowners insurance rose ~29% in 2026 due to increasing severe storm exposure, particularly from Great Lakes weather systems.

If you buy here

Wisconsin's judicial foreclosure with 12-month redemption provides meaningful protection if you ever fall into financial difficulty. On the flip side, this same lengthy process means buying foreclosed properties in Wisconsin comes with a year-long period of ownership uncertainty.

Foreclosure: both, ~12 mo
Post-sale redemption: 12 months (6 months if abandoned; can be waived by agreement)
Anti-deficiency protection: No

General overview only — laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a real estate attorney for advice specific to your purchase. (Verified 2026-06-30.)

A clean, printable one-page summary — free, no account needed.

Loan details

Understanding your numbers before you sign.

A mortgage is likely the largest financial commitment of your life. The Mortgage Ledger was built so you can explore what that commitment actually looks like — payment by payment, line by line — before you're sitting across from a lender.

Rates sourced from FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Estimates only — not a loan offer.

Enter loan details to see your payment.

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Mortgage rate trend

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Down-payment scenarios for a median home in Wisconsin

How much you put down changes the loan, the monthly payment, and the income a lender wants to see. Below is a median-priced $278,000 home in Wisconsinat a 6.65% benchmark rate over 30 years — the same assumptions behind the income figures above.

Down payment	Loan	Monthly P&I	Income to qualify	Mortgage insurance
5% · $13,900	$264,100	$1,695/mo	≈ $99,019	PMI ~$176/mo
10% · $27,800	$250,200	$1,606/mo	≈ $94,797	PMI ~$167/mo
20% · $55,600	$222,400	$1,428/mo	$80,000	None

At 20% down the income to qualify is the $80,000 shown above; putting less down means a bigger loan, a higher payment, and PMI (estimated at ~0.8% of the loan per year until you reach 20% equity — the actual rate varies by credit).

What a median home actually costs each month (20% down)

$1,428principal & interest + $401 property tax + $121 insurance = $1,949/mo. Property tax and insurance are added on top of the mortgage, never blended into the rate. Insurance is Wisconsin's average annual premium ($1,450/yr, at a benchmark $300k dwelling) — your quote will vary.

The bigger picture: a median home in Wisconsin costs about 4.0×the typical household's yearly income — below the national ratio of about 4.8×.

Go deeper: run your own numbers in the affordability calculator, download the full dataset or read the methodology. Compare with neighbouring Illinois and Michigan.

How much do you need to earn to buy a home in Wisconsin?

In Wisconsin, you need to earn about $80,000 a year to afford a median-priced home of $278,000 — $10,000 more than the $70,000 a typical household earns. A single median income can still stretch to it, depending on your debts and down payment.

How much do you need to earn to buy a house in Wisconsin?

To afford a median-priced home in Wisconsin (about $278,000), a buyer needs roughly $80,000 per year, compared with the $70,000 a median Wisconsin household earns. Source: The Mortgage Ledger, 2026.

What is the average home price in Wisconsin?

The median home price in Wisconsin is about $278,000 as of June 2026, per The Mortgage Ledger.

What are property taxes in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin has an effective property tax rate of about 1.73%, or roughly $4,809 per year on a median-priced home. Source: The Mortgage Ledger, 2026.

Do you need two incomes to buy a home in Wisconsin?

Not necessarily — a single median household income of $70,000 is close to the $80,000 needed for a median-priced home, though it depends on your debts and down payment.

Source: The Mortgage Ledger · Figures are statewide medians and benchmark estimates · Data verified June 2026.