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Menominee County, WI

Rent vs Own in Menominee County, Wisconsin

Owning the median home in Menominee County clears the monthly bar: about $917/mo versus HUD's $973/mo 2-bedroom rent. The stack below shows which line items create that edge. Owner-occupied homes: 1,061.

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Buying is cheaper in Menominee County

Owning runs about $917/mo here, under $973/mo to rent a comparable 2-bedroom. That is a $56/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Menominee County

Primary driver

Income supports the median purchase price

Median household income is $62,108, and the 1.8x home-price-to-income ratio leaves room for the ownership stack (property tax alone is 6.3% of median income). The monthly gap above is more about mortgage rate and insurance assumptions than about the purchase price being out of reach.

Decision signal 2

Buying compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Menominee County ranks 1 of 72 Wisconsin counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It is the state's most buy-favorable county by this measure.

Decision signal 3

The tax rate is a national headwind

Menominee County's 3.56% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 100% pay more. Treat that recurring tax line separately from principal and interest.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Menominee County from $997/mo in FY2025 to $973/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $24/mo (-2.4%). A falling benchmark narrows the case for buying here, and it usually reflects HUD re-estimating the local market rather than existing rents being cut.

Decision signal 5

Owning clears the monthly bar here

Menominee County's median home ($110,200) carries $3,926/yr in property tax at 3.56%. Under a 20% down, 6.5%, 30-year stack the all-in ownership bill is about $917/mo, which undercuts HUD's $973/mo 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent by roughly $56/mo before maintenance, HOA, or closing costs.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$917
Mortgage (P&I) $557
Property Tax $327
Insurance (est.) $32
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$973
Studio$691
1-Bedroom$888
2-Bedroom$973
3-Bedroom$1,314
4-Bedroom$1,319

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$62,108
$5,176/mo
Home Price / Income
1.8x
Affordable (≤3x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
6.3%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Menominee County owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Returns in the $75,000 to $100,000 range dominate the deduction in Menominee County, though even in that band only about one in nine files for it nationally.

Against that holding-cost profile, the monthly ownership stack already undercuts HUD rent here, so the long-run tax bill is an ownership feature more than a reason to keep renting.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Milwaukee County
Home: $230,700 Tax: $4,444/yr
Dane County
Home: $394,800 Tax: $6,420/yr
Waukesha County
Home: $398,200 Tax: $4,554/yr
Brown County
Home: $266,000 Tax: $3,663/yr
Racine County
Home: $251,400 Tax: $4,099/yr
Outagamie County
Home: $267,300 Tax: $3,668/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

How much house can you afford in Menominee County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $62,108 household here can afford up to $186,324, which comfortably covers this county's $110,200 median home price -- a healthier affordability picture than many of the counties tracked on this site.
What is the median home price in Menominee County? ▼
$110,200, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. What stands out more than the price itself is the tax load on it: this county's 3.56% effective rate sits near the high end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Menominee County, Wisconsin? ▼
On the standard 20%-down / 6.5% stack, owning the median Menominee County home undercuts HUD's 2-bedroom rent by about $56/mo. Change the down payment, rate, or time horizon in the calculator and that gap can flip - owning also builds equity that rent never does.
What is the average rent in Menominee County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $973/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $628/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How does Menominee County compare to other Wisconsin counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 72 Wisconsin counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Menominee County lands at spot 1, putting it in the more buy-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/wisconsin">Wisconsin state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Menominee County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 2.4% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →