Oehler Mill Complex · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0Measured against area pay, Shelby costs more to live in than 54% of U.S. towns
It ranks #178 of 362 in Wisconsin for affordability. Home prices around Shelby have risen about 51% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area ($73K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the La Crosse metro earn ($73K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.1 years of metro income, and 36% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,180a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 92prices across the La Crosse metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 69)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$73K, La Crosse-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Shelby
What’s behind Shelby’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shelby is more affordable than 46% of U.S. towns, #178 of 362 in Wisconsin. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 51% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Shelby rose 51% over the past 5 years, slower than across Wisconsin (57%). Last year prices rose 3.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Shelby home at roughly $359,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $359K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Shelby, 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 4.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Shelby’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $94K short of a typical Shelby home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,180 a month here, $1,130 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Shelby’s typical property tax (1.43% 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 $1,180
Renters already here pay a median of $937, 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 (La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 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.
Property tax runs above the Wisconsin norm
The median bill is $4,322 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 1.43% 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 Shelby
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 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 | 92 | 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.
Shelby vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Shelby. Hamburg and Medary and Bergen and Greenfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | B− | — | $301K | 1.43% | $1,180 |
| La Crosse | C | $282K | $210K | 1.83% | $1,150 |
| Hokah Township | – | — | $349K | 0.81% | $1,120 |
| Bergen | D | — | $331K | 1.17% | $1,180 |
| Greenfield | B− | — | $280K | 1.42% | $1,160 |
| Hamburg | – | — | $377K | 1.31% | $1,040 |
| Medary | C | — | $356K | 1.10% | $1,190 |
“—” 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 Shelby
Is Shelby expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shelby costs more than 54% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #178 of 362 in Wisconsin. The typical home costs 4.1 years of the median household income of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area ($73K).
How much is rent in Shelby?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,180 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $937 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Shelby?
The median bill is $4,322 a year, 1.43% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Shelby 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. 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.