Baraboo, Wisconsin Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

C

Overall 4%

Goods & Services 4%

Housing 24%

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Baraboo	Wisconsin	National
Cost of living	96	96	100
Goods & Services	104	99	100
Groceries	106	100	100
Health care	122	112	100
Housing	76	88	100
Transportation	105	99	100
Utilities	102	100	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Baraboo is equal to the Wisconsin average
The cost of living in Baraboo is 4% lower than the national average
Baraboo housing is 24% lower than the national average
Wisconsin general sales tax is 2% lower than the national average
Wisconsin state income tax is 62% higher than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Baraboo

See all the best places to live around Baraboo

Compare Baraboo, WI Cost of Living

See all Baraboo poll results

The best places in Wisconsin

Here are the best places to live in Wisconsin

See the best places to live in & around Baraboo

10 best cities to buy a new house in Wisconsin

Check out the 10 safest cities in Wisconsin

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$61,446	$5,121	$1,434	$1,844
Renters	$26,570	$2,214	$620	$797

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Baraboo, WI, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Baraboo, the median monthly income is $61,446 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,434 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $26,570, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $620 on monthly rental expenses.

Wisconsin Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Wisconsin	5%	6.75%

Wisconsin Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Wisconsin	4%	7.65%

Goods & Services

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$22.33	$20.27	10.2%
Beauty Salon	$53.17	$40.39	31.6%
Toothpaste	$2.17	$2.36	8.2%
Shampoo	$1.21	$1.08	12.1%
Movie	$10.93	$10.99	0.5%
Bowling	$20.78	$15.49	34.1%

Groceries

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.31	$4.30	0.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.55	$1.40	10.5%
Milk	$2.27	$2.20	2.9%
Potatoes	$2.90	$3.22	9.9%
Pizza	$10.32	$10.74	3.9%
Beer	$8.43	$9.60	12.1%

Health Care

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$66.22	$109.73	39.6%
Doctor	$205.50	$118.34	73.7%
Dentist	$120.55	$100.94	19.4%
Ibuprofen	$11.41	$9.93	14.9%
Lipitor	$486.79	$469.53	3.7%

Housing

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$140,700.00	$184,700.00	23.8%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,397.68	$1,229.62	13.7%
Apartment Rent	$707.00	$949.00	25.5%

Transportation

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.60	$2.71	4.2%
Tire Balancing	$62.00	$51.86	19.6%

Utilities

Item	Baraboo	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$179.45	$170.84	5.0%
Phone	$182.84	$187.18	2.3%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Bluffview, WI	653	82	17.9%
North Freedom, WI	665	92	8.5%
Portage, WI	10,255	94	6.2%
Lake Delton, WI	2,961	94	5.8%
Rock Springs, WI	385	94	5.6%
Baraboo, WI	12,097	96	3.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Forestville, MD	12,100	114	14.4%
North St. Paul, MN	12,102	102	1.9%
Greensburg, IN	12,107	87	13.2%
Verona, WI	12,113	115	15.1%
Mackenzie County, AB	12,113	n/a
Baraboo, WI	12,097	96	3.6%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.