Overall
101.1
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Kenosha, WI
Cost-of-living indicators for Kenosha, WI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.1
- Overall RPP
- #66
- of 387 metros
- 95.8
- Rents RPP
- $99K
- $100K national buys
Kenosha ranks #66 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.6 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Fort Collins-Loveland
The verdict
Kenosha is more expensive than 83% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.1, 1.1% above the national average, led by services at 85.9.
- top 17%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 106.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 85.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $98,894 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $101,118.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$101,118
in Kenosha, WI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,559
$75,000 nationally
$75,839
$125,000 nationally
$126,398
$150,000 nationally
$151,677
$200,000 nationally
$202,236
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
29/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
29th 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 2.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2012, when the index dropped 3.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Kenosha overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 103.7 |
| 2009 | 102.9 |
| 2010 | 100.1 |
| 2011 | 103.1 |
| 2012 | 99.3 |
| 2013 | 100.1 |
| 2014 | 101.3 |
| 2015 | 101.0 |
| 2016 | 100.2 |
| 2017 | 102.5 |
| 2018 | 100.9 |
| 2019 | 101.9 |
| 2020 | 99.4 |
| 2021 | 101.5 |
| 2022 | 102.5 |
| 2023 | 100.5 |
| 2024 | 101.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kenosha's overall RPP rose +0.6 points, from 100.5 in 2023 to 101.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 91.7 to 95.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Kenosha's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Kenosha: their index is 85.9, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 101.1 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA, Kennewick-Richland, WA, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL. They resemble Kenosha 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, Kenosha's overall index has fallen by 2.6 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.
Kenosha vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
101 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
Kenosha cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
95.8 RPP
- Services
Services
85.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
106.2 RPP
What this shows Kenosha's strongest departure is services at 85.9; goods follows at 106.2. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Kenosha's cost comes from
Metros near Kenosha's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Kenosha (Kenosha, this metro): goods RPP 106.2, rents RPP 95.8
- Fort Collins: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 120.6
- Chico: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 91.9
- Reno: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 123.5
- Charleston: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 119.8
- Burlington: goods RPP 97.3, rents RPP 103.8
- Tampa: goods RPP 95.5, rents RPP 125.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
106.2
Above avg
Services
85.9
Cheap
Rents
95.8
Below avg
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Kenosha, WI's index of 101.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Kenosha'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.
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 91.2 · Rents 97.1 Kennewick-Richland, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 93.6 · Rents 94.8 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 86.9 · Rents 95.9 Wilmington, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.9 · Rents 93.2 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.1 · Rents 96.4 Asheville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.6 · Rents 93.4
WI-relative analysis
Services prices places Kenosha, WI near the bottom of WI's metros
Among the 13 WI metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Kenosha, WI ranks #13 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Kenosha, WI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 13
92nd percentile in WI
Services prices
#13 of 13
0th percentile in WI
Rent prices
#3 of 13
77th 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 Kenosha, 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 (101.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (95.8 here).
Other WI Metros
Madison, WI 97.3 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 96.9 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI 96.0 Sheboygan, WI 94.0 Janesville-Beloit, WI 93.7 Green Bay, WI 93.1
View all WI metros → Cheapest in WI → Most expensive in WI →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Kenosha
How to read Kenosha'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 $98,894 in Kenosha. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 85.9, 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 Kenosha 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 Kenosha, WI?
Kenosha, WI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.1, meaning it is 1.1% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 106.2, services at 85.9, and rents at 95.8. It ranks #66 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Kenosha, WI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $101,118 in Kenosha, WI. Conversely, $100K earned in Kenosha, WI has the purchasing power of $98,894 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Kenosha, WI?
Rents in Kenosha, WI are indexed at 95.8, which is 4.2% below the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Kenosha, WI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kenosha, WI's overall cost index changed by -2.6 points (from 103.7 to 101.1). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Kenosha, WI?
The priciest category in Kenosha, WI is goods at 106.2, 6.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 85.9, 14.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Kenosha, WI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Fort Collins-Loveland, Chico, Reno. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Kenosha, WI's 101.1.
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.