Shopiere Congregational Church · Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Turtle costs less to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
Up 7.8% in a year, 12% above the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Janesville metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.1 years of metro income, and 37% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $376Ktypical home, 12% above the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,240a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Janesville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 80)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Janesville-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Turtle
What’s behind Turtle’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Turtle is more affordable than 71% 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 35.5% in five years, against 31.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 7.8% in a year
Faster than Wisconsin (5.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Turtle | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $194,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $206,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $219,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $230,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $251,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $283,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $299,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $317,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $340,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $362,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $376,000 | $337,000 |
A typical Turtle home worth $192K in October 2016 is worth about $376K 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 14% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Turtle’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $99K short of a typical Turtle home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,240 a month here, $1,170 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Turtle’s typical property tax (1.38% 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 $1,240
Renters already here pay a median of $874, 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 (Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
8 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 8 new homes in Turtle in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $5.2 million to build. That's 2.9 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Turtle has permitted 46 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Turtle gained 5 residents while 19 new homes were permitted: about 0.3 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 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) | 7 | 7 | 0 | $5.4 million |
| 2025 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $927,000 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $630,000 |
| 2018 | 8 | 6 | 2 | $2.1 million |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $315,000 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $517,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $220,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $813,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $254,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $513,000 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2005 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2004 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2003 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2002 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2001 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2000 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $763,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Wisconsin norm
The median bill is $3,274 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 1.38% 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 Turtle
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Janesville-Beloit, 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 | 94 | 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.
Turtle vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Turtle has the 2nd-lowest. Clinton and Beloit have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle | B+ | $376K | $237K | 1.38% | $1,240 |
| Beloit | B | $208K | $157K | 1.57% | $1,220 |
| Clinton | – | — | $299K | 1.50% | $1,270 |
| La Prairie | – | $400K | $289K | 1.54% | $1,270 |
| Beloit | B | — | $219K | 1.45% | $1,220 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Turtle
Is Turtle expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Turtle costs less than 71% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.1 years of the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Turtle?
About $376K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 7.8% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in Turtle?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $103,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,410 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $50,000.
How much is rent in Turtle?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,240 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $874 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Turtle?
The median bill is $3,274 a year, 1.38% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Turtle going up?
Yes: up 7.8% in the past year and 35.5% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Turtle 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. 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.