Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad Depot · Photo: Tgkrause · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, New Glarus costs less to live in than 67% of U.S. towns
Up 2.3% in a year, close to 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 4 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Madison metro earn ($89K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.2 years of metro income, and 36% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $354Ktypical home, 5% above the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,330a 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
- 3.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$89K, Madison-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in New Glarus
What’s behind New Glarus’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Glarus is more affordable than 67% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Wisconsin: up 35.2% in five years, against 31.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 35.2% in five years
Faster than Wisconsin (31.4%).
Show as a table
| January | New Glarus | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $174,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $188,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $204,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $217,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $241,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $267,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $287,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $307,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $337,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $352,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $354,000 | $337,000 |
A typical New Glarus home worth $169K in October 2016 is worth about $354K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 13% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to New Glarus’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $51K short of a typical New Glarus home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,330 a month here, $1,090 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, New Glarus’s typical property tax (1.93% 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 $1,330
Renters already here pay a median of $983, 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 New Glarus in 2025. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, New Glarus has permitted 22 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, New Glarus gained 94 residents while 21 new homes were permitted: about 4.5 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 | $250,000 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $687,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $285,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $285,000 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $557,000 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $523,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2017 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $970,000 |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $574,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $915,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 26 | 0 | 26 | $4.2 million |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $840,000 |
| 2005 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2004 | 14 | 0 | 14 | $2 million |
| 2003 | 9 | 4 | 5 | $935,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $265,000 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $265,000 |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $265,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Wisconsin norm
The median bill is $5,448 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 1.93% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near New Glarus
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.
New Glarus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Glarus | B+ | $354K | $283K | 1.93% | $1,330 |
Questions about the cost of living in New Glarus
Is New Glarus expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, New Glarus costs less than 67% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of the Madison, WI metro area ($89K).
How much does a house cost in New Glarus?
About $354K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.3% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in New Glarus?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $104,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,420 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in New Glarus?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,330 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $983 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in New Glarus?
The median bill is $5,448 a year, 1.93% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in New Glarus going up?
Yes: up 2.3% in the past year and 35.2% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What New Glarus 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.