Measured against area pay, Bashaw costs less to live in than 57% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Bashaw have risen about 66% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 9 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Washburn County, WI ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Washburn County earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.0 years of area income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,050a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, Washburn County income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Bashaw
What’s behind Bashaw’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bashaw is more affordable than 57% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 66% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Bashaw rose 66% over the past 5 years, faster than across Wisconsin (57%). Last year prices fell 4.6%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Bashaw home at roughly $301,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $301K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Bashaw, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 4.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Bashaw’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $59K short of a typical Bashaw home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month here, $780 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Bashaw’s typical property tax (0.98% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050
Renters already here pay a median of $827, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Burnett County, WI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
9 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 9 new homes in Bashaw in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $3.3 million to build. That's 8.6 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Bashaw has permitted 27 homes in all.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $641,000 |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $791,000 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $547,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $245,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $475,000 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $644,000 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Wisconsin norm
The median bill is $2,504 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 0.98% of a home’s value a year, against 1.42% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Bashaw vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Bashaw. Beaver Brook and Dewey and Evergreen have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bashaw | B | — | $255K | 0.98% | $1,050 |
| Beaver Brook | – | — | $231K | 1.04% | $1,080 |
| Shell Lake | B+ | $321K | $229K | 1.52% | $1,080 |
| Dewey | – | — | $219K | 0.96% | $1,070 |
| Spooner | B− | $298K | $166K | 1.44% | $970 |
| Barronett | – | $266K | $224K | 1.08% | $1,050 |
| Evergreen | B+ | — | $191K | 1.18% | $970 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Bashaw
Is Bashaw expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bashaw costs less than 57% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household income of Washburn County, WI ($63K).
How much is rent in Bashaw?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,050 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $827 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Bashaw?
The median bill is $2,504 a year, 0.98% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Bashaw buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.