Measured against area pay, Rome costs more to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
It ranks #354 of 362 in Wisconsin for affordability. Home prices around Rome have risen about 84% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 49 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Adams County, WI ($59K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 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 Adams County earn ($59K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.9 years of area income, and 2% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$59K, Adams County income
- 29%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Rome’s housing numbers say
About half of Rome’s homes are second homes
47% of Rome’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 41 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Building at 4 times the Wisconsin pace
Builders were permitted 49 new homes in 2025: 15 per 1,000 residents, against 4.3 across Wisconsin. That’s 465 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Prices rose faster than Wisconsin’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Rome, so the page uses the federal house price index for the ZIP codes around it, which follows repeat sales of the same homes. It rose 84% over five years, against 57% across Wisconsin. Price trend ↓
Nearly every household owns
95% of Rome households own their home, against 68% across Wisconsin. There are only 41 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Renting costs far less than owning
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month. Owning the typical Rome home, with 20% down at the calculator’s rate, runs about $2,570 with tax and insurance: more than twice as much. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Rome, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Rome’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Rome is more affordable than 11% of U.S. towns, #354 of 362 in Wisconsin. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 84% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Rome rose 84% over the past 5 years, faster than across Wisconsin (57%). Last year prices rose 8.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Rome home at roughly $402,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $402K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Rome, 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 4.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Rome’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $187K short of a typical Rome home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $1,600 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Rome’s typical property tax (1.37% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $1,453.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Adams County, WI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
49 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 49 new homes in Rome in 2025: 47 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $29.3 million to build. That's 15 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Rome has permitted 465 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Rome gained 305 residents while 210 new homes were permitted: about 1.5 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 47% of Rome's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. 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) | 45 | 45 | 0 | $29.9 million |
| 2025 | 49 | 47 | 2 | $29.3 million |
| 2024 | 67 | 67 | 0 | $23.6 million |
| 2023 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $19.1 million |
| 2022 | 66 | 66 | 0 | $37.9 million |
| 2021 | 64 | 64 | 0 | $27.3 million |
| 2020 | 48 | 36 | 12 | $10.7 million |
| 2019 | 30 | 28 | 2 | $9.2 million |
| 2018 | 33 | 31 | 2 | $9 million |
| 2017 | 22 | 20 | 2 | $4.7 million |
| 2016 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2015 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2014 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2013 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2012 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2011 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2010 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2009 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2008 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2007 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $9.6 million |
| 2006 | 94 | 90 | 4 | $15.8 million |
| 2005 | 106 | 102 | 4 | $16.6 million |
| 2004 | 89 | 87 | 2 | $13.6 million |
| 2003 | 69 | 67 | 2 | $10.2 million |
| 2002 | 72 | 72 | 0 | $11.6 million |
| 2001 | 52 | 48 | 4 | $7.4 million |
| 2000 | 56 | 56 | 0 | $7.8 million |
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 $4,028 (Wisconsin: $3,792), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.37% 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+”.
Rome vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Rome. Armenia and Saratoga and Port Edwards and Big Flats 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | D | — | $294K | 1.37% | $970 |
| Armenia | – | — | $188K | 1.00% | $970 |
| Leola | – | — | $160K | 1.23% | $980 |
| Saratoga | B+ | — | $176K | 1.34% | $1,040 |
| Big Flats | – | — | $100K | 1.24% | $990 |
| Port Edwards | A− | — | $168K | 1.51% | $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 Rome
Is Rome expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Rome costs more than 89% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #354 of 362 in Wisconsin. The typical home costs 4.9 years of the median household income of Adams County, WI ($59K).
How much is rent in Rome?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,453 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Rome?
The median bill is $4,028 a year, 1.37% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Rome buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. 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. 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.