Overall
92.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Appleton, WI
Cost-of-living indicators for Appleton, WI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.4
- Overall RPP
- #234
- of 387 metros
- 70.8
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
Appleton ranks #234 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.7 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to San Angelo
The verdict
Appleton costs less than 60% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.4, 7.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 70.8.
- bottom 40%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 90.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,203 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,419.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Appleton's overall RPP fell -1.3 points, from 93.7 in 2023 to 92.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 81.6 to 70.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 2.5 points from the year before.
Appleton overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.1 |
| 2009 | 94.6 |
| 2010 | 95.1 |
| 2011 | 94.2 |
| 2012 | 94.6 |
| 2013 | 95.3 |
| 2014 | 94.4 |
| 2015 | 93.4 |
| 2016 | 92.9 |
| 2017 | 92.1 |
| 2018 | 93.6 |
| 2019 | 93.7 |
| 2020 | 92.3 |
| 2021 | 93.4 |
| 2022 | 91.9 |
| 2023 | 93.7 |
| 2024 | 92.4 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Appleton's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Appleton: rents index at 70.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 92.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Champaign-Urbana, IL, Springfield, IL, Wausau, WI. They resemble Appleton across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Appleton's overall index has fallen by 4.7 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Appleton vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 40% higher than 40% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Appleton cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
70.8 RPP
- Services
Services
90.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Appleton's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 70.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 90.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Appleton's cost comes from
Metros near Appleton's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Appleton (Appleton, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 70.8
- San Angelo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 81.4
- Niles: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 71.6
- Sebring: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.5
- Williamsport: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 64.4
- Muskegon: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74.2
- Kansas City: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
90.6
Below avg
Rents
70.8
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$92,419
in Appleton, WI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,210
$75,000 nationally
$69,314
$125,000 nationally
$115,524
$150,000 nationally
$138,629
$200,000 nationally
$184,838
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
68/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
68th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
WI-relative analysis
Goods prices places Appleton, WI near the bottom of WI's metros
Among the 13 WI metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Appleton, WI ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Appleton, WI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 13
0th percentile in WI
Services prices
#5 of 13
62nd percentile in WI
Rent prices
#11 of 13
15th percentile in WI
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within WI only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Appleton, WI: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (92.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (70.8 here).
Other WI Metros
Kenosha, WI 101.1 Madison, WI 97.3 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 96.9 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI 96.0 Sheboygan, WI 94.0 Janesville-Beloit, WI 93.7
View all WI metros → Cheapest in WI → Most expensive in WI →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Appleton's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Champaign-Urbana, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 90.5 · Rents 71.6 Springfield, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 90.4 · Rents 71.6 Wausau, WI
Goods 93.8 · Services 90.0 · Rents 71.5 Rockford, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 89.4 · Rents 70.1 Lawrence, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 89.3 · Rents 71.6 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
Goods 93.8 · Services 89.5 · Rents 69.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Appleton, WI's index of 92.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Appleton
How to read Appleton's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $108,203 in Appleton. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 70.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Appleton head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Appleton, WI?
Appleton, WI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.4, meaning it is 7.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 90.6, and rents at 70.8. It ranks #234 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Appleton, WI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,419 in Appleton, WI. Conversely, $100K earned in Appleton, WI has the purchasing power of $108,203 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Appleton, WI?
Rents in Appleton, WI are indexed at 70.8, which is 29.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Appleton, WI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Appleton, WI's overall cost index changed by -4.7 points (from 97.1 to 92.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Appleton, WI?
The priciest category in Appleton, WI is goods at 93.8, 6.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 70.8, 29.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Appleton, WI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include San Angelo, Niles, Sebring. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Appleton, WI's 92.4.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.