Compare cities and metro areas ranked by the 2024 BEA cost-of-living index in Wisconsin. 13 metro areas are available.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Fond du Lac, WI has the lowest overall Regional Price Parity in this Wisconsin ranking at 91.6. The national average is 100, so this comparison identifies the lowest relative price level among the metro areas BEA reports; it does not estimate a household budget or citywide inflation.
A data-shaped reading
The sequence below follows the strongest decision signal in this state's component mix, metro spread, retained-release movement, and national-benchmark coverage.
Strength of the lead
Only 0.1 index points separate Fond du Lac, WI from La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN. Treat rank number one as a shortlist signal, not a decisive winner: a later BEA release or a household that weights rent differently could reverse the order. The full listed range is 9.5 points.
Component driver
Fond du Lac, WI's rents index is 67.3, compared with 93.8 for goods and 91.1 for services. That places housing 24.3 points below the metro's overall index. Housing contributes meaningful relief, but the other components remain close enough to matter in a real household budget.
Latest retained release
From 2023 to 2024, Fond du Lac, WI's overall RPP fell by 1.3 points. The largest component move was rents, which changed by -10.3 points. Because RPP is relative to the national price level, this describes movement against the U.S. benchmark, not literal deflation or inflation in a household's bills.
National benchmark coverage
12 of 13 listed metros are below the U.S. baseline, averaging 94.3 overall and 80.4 for rents. The majority supports a real affordable cluster, while the remaining above-benchmark metros prevent the label from being generalized to the state.
| # | Metro | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fond du Lac, WI | 91.6 |
| 2 | La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 91.8 |
| 3 | Appleton, WI | 92.4 |
| 4 | Wausau, WI | 92.7 |
| 5 | Eau Claire, WI | 92.8 |
| 6 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 92.9 |
| 7 | Green Bay, WI | 93.1 |
| 8 | Janesville-Beloit, WI | 93.7 |
| 9 | Sheboygan, WI | 94.0 |
| 10 | Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 96.0 |
| 11 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 96.9 |
| 12 | Madison, WI | 97.3 |
| 13 | Kenosha, WI | 101.1 |
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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.