Photo: Mjrichter at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, West Bend costs more to live in than 61% of U.S. towns
It ranks #213 of 362 in Wisconsin for affordability. Up 6% in a year, 5% above the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area ($78K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. West Bend’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($78K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 16% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 51% of renters.
In dollars
- $356Ktypical home, 5% above the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,280a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 97prices across the Milwaukee metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 97)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$78K, Milwaukee-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Wisconsin: 44%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in West Bend
About half of homes sell above asking
In May, 57% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 64% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.5 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 2.7 across Wisconsin: 72 listings for 49 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
A burst of building in 2022
West Bend permitted 194 new homes in 2022, 94% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 54 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 26. New homes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 677 homes permitted in West Bend’s past 10 years, 69% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
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 West Bend’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, West Bend is more affordable than 39% of U.S. towns, #213 of 362 in Wisconsin. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Wisconsin: up 31.9% 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 | West Bend | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $193,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $203,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $214,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $228,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $248,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $269,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $283,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $304,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $326,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $344,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $356,000 | $337,000 |
A typical West Bend home worth $190K in October 2016 is worth about $356K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A year’s rent takes 17% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to West Bend’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $69K short of a typical West Bend home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,280 a month here, $980 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, West Bend’s typical property tax (1.32% 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 $1,280
Renters already here pay a median of $1,076, 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 (Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
26 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 26 new homes in West Bend in 2025: 14 single-family houses and 12 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $9 million to build. That's 0.8 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, West Bend has permitted 677 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, West Bend gained 674 residents while 629 new homes were permitted: about 1.1 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) | 26 | 26 | 0 | $8.5 million |
| 2025 | 26 | 14 | 12 | $9 million |
| 2024 | 125 | 14 | 111 | $24.5 million |
| 2023 | 10 | 6 | 4 | $2.4 million |
| 2022 | 194 | 11 | 183 | $37.9 million |
| 2021 | 56 | 20 | 36 | $13.7 million |
| 2020 | 78 | 46 | 32 | $17 million |
| 2019 | 34 | 16 | 18 | $6.9 million |
| 2018 | 54 | 22 | 32 | $8.7 million |
| 2017 | 61 | 29 | 32 | $11.5 million |
| 2016 | 39 | 33 | 6 | $6.6 million |
| 2015 | 54 | 29 | 25 | $8.3 million |
| 2014 | 32 | 22 | 10 | $5.2 million |
| 2013 | 90 | 28 | 62 | $11.1 million |
| 2012 | 41 | 17 | 24 | $4.9 million |
| 2011 | 74 | 13 | 61 | $7.5 million |
| 2010 | 150 | 70 | 80 | $14.6 million |
| 2009 | 61 | 41 | 20 | $7.1 million |
| 2008 | 75 | 55 | 20 | $11.1 million |
| 2007 | 98 | 90 | 8 | $15.7 million |
| 2006 | 113 | 65 | 48 | $17.8 million |
| 2005 | 335 | 150 | 185 | $51.8 million |
| 2004 | 244 | 134 | 110 | $34.5 million |
| 2003 | 205 | 123 | 82 | $25.6 million |
| 2002 | 203 | 85 | 118 | $21.6 million |
| 2001 | 160 | 92 | 68 | $18.1 million |
| 2000 | 162 | 90 | 72 | $15.7 million |
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 $3,481 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 1.32% 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 West Bend
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Milwaukee-Waukesha, 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 | 92 | 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.
West Bend vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, West Bend has the lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in West Bend
Is West Bend expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, West Bend costs more than 61% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #213 of 362 in Wisconsin. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area ($78K).
How much does a house cost in West Bend?
About $356K, 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 West Bend?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $97,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,260 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $51,000.
How much is rent in West Bend?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,280 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,076 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in West Bend?
The median bill is $3,481 a year, 1.32% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in West Bend going up?
Yes: up 6.0% in the past year and 31.9% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What West Bend 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.