Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Maple Bluff costs more to live in than 91% of U.S. towns
Up 7.2% in a year, 3 times the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Madison, WI metro area ($89K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Maple Bluff’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($89K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 35% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 56% of renters.
In dollars
- $1.0Mtypical home, 210% above the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,610a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 97prices across the Madison metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 100)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 9.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$89K, Madison-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 35%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Maple Bluff
Renting costs far less than owning
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,610 a month. Owning the typical Maple Bluff home, with 20% down at the calculator’s rate, runs about $6,710 with tax and insurance: 4 times as much. Can I afford it? ↓
Nearly every household owns
92% of Maple Bluff households own their home, against 68% across Wisconsin. There are only 41 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Maple Bluff’s homes were built before 1947, against 1975 for Wisconsin as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Maple Bluff’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Maple Bluff is more affordable than 9% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Wisconsin: the typical Maple Bluff home is up 40.2% in five years, against 31.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 40.2% in five years
Faster than Wisconsin (31.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Maple Bluff | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $506,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $531,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $570,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $599,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $663,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $775,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $837,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $895,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $959,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $1,006,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $1,044,000 | $337,000 |
A typical Maple Bluff home worth $495K in October 2016 is worth about $1.04M today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 9.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Maple Bluff’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $721K short of a typical Maple Bluff home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,610 a month here, $5,100 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, the Wisconsin typical property tax (1.42% 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 $1,610
Renters already here pay a median of $1,438, 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 (Madison, WI HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Maple Bluff in 2025. That's 0.8 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Maple Bluff has permitted 1 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Maple Bluff gained 55 residents while 3 new homes were permitted: about 18 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Wisconsin: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $990,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $450,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $225,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $720,000 |
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $810,000 |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $10,000+ (Wisconsin: $3,792), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.13%+ 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Maple Bluff
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Madison, WI metro area, or Wisconsin. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 97 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 90 | WI 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | WI 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Maple Bluff and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Bluff | D | $1.0M | $883K | 1.13%+ | $1,610 |
“+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that.
Questions about the cost of living in Maple Bluff
Is Maple Bluff expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Maple Bluff costs more than 91% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living. The typical home costs 9.9 years of the median household income of the Madison, WI metro area ($89K).
How much does a house cost in Maple Bluff?
About $1.0M, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 7.2% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in Maple Bluff?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $288,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $6,710 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $64,000.
How much is rent in Maple Bluff?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,610 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,438 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Maple Bluff?
The median bill is $10,000+ a year, 1.13% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Maple Bluff going up?
Yes: up 7.2% in the past year and 40.2% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Maple Bluff buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. 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.