Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Measured against area pay, Marinette costs less to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #21 of 362 in Wisconsin for affordability. Up 6% in a year, 39% below the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Marinette, WI-MI micro area ($61K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Marinette-area micro earn ($61K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.0 years of area income, and 34% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $206Ktypical home, 39% below the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $990a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$61K, Marinette-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 34%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Wisconsin: 44%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Marinette, in brief
Very little new building
Marinette permitted 30 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.3 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Wisconsin, the pace in 2025 was 4.3. In 2025, Marinette permitted 12. New homes ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Marinette’s homes were built before 1955, 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; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Marinette’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marinette is more affordable than 78% of U.S. towns, #21 of 362 in Wisconsin. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Wisconsin: up 31.8% in five years, against 31.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6% in a year
About the same pace as Wisconsin (5.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Marinette | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $107,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $115,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $121,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $128,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $140,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $159,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $168,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $177,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $188,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $201,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $206,000 | $337,000 |
A typical Marinette home worth $106K in October 2016 is worth about $206K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 14 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Marinette’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Marinette home, with $13K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $990 a month here, $350 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Marinette’s typical property tax (1.49% 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 $990
Renters already here pay a median of $807, 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 (Marinette County, WI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
12 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 12 new homes in Marinette in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.2 million to build. That's 1.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Marinette has permitted 30 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Marinette gained 151 residents while 81 new homes were permitted: about 1.9 new residents per new home, more than across Wisconsin (1.3): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 6 | 6 | 0 | $585,000 |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $482,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $350,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $429,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $275,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $275,000 |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $695,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $535,000 |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $820,000 |
| 2012 | 51 | 2 | 49 | $6.1 million |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 11 | 3 | 8 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $335,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $590,000 |
| 2006 | 9 | 3 | 6 | $715,000 |
| 2005 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2004 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $803,000 |
| 2003 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2002 | 23 | 11 | 12 | $2.2 million |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $532,000 |
| 2000 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $562,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,796, under the Wisconsin median of $3,792, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.49% 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+”.
Marinette vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Marinette has the 2nd-lowest. Peshtigo has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marinette | A− | $206K | $120K | 1.49% | $990 |
| Peshtigo | B | — | $214K | 1.08% | $980 |
| Menominee | A− | $178K | $104K | 1.69% | $990 |
| Porterfield | C | $269K | $234K | 1.21% | $980 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Marinette
Is Marinette expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marinette costs less than 78% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #21 of 362 in Wisconsin. The typical home costs 2.0 years of the median household income of the Marinette, WI-MI micro area ($61K).
How much does a house cost in Marinette?
About $206K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.0% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in Marinette?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $57,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,340 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $40,000.
How much is rent in Marinette?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $990 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $807 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Marinette?
The median bill is $1,796 a year, 1.49% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Marinette going up?
Yes: up 6.0% in the past year and 31.8% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Marinette 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, May 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.