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CityLedger

Appleton vs Evansville

Metro-area medians — Appleton, WI Metro Area vs Evansville, IN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Appleton comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Appleton and Evansville cost about the same to live in, but Appleton households earn about 22% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Appleton.

Their widest everyday difference: Appleton has the tighter job market — 2.1% unemployment versus 4.5%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Appleton, WI
$58,454
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$63,248
real value after local prices
Evansville, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$64,531
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Evansville leaves you about $1,282/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Appleton
Evansville
Livability (CityLedger)
71/100
47/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
92.4
91.5
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$89,268
$73,703
Median household income
$82,501
$67,459
Median rent
$1,164/mo
$1,007/mo
Median home value
$297,500
$228,800
Unemployment
2.1%
4.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
33.3%
32.5%
Average commute
19.9 min
20.5 min
Air quality (median AQI)
37
46
Avg temperature
46°F
57°F

Choose Appleton for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Appleton profile →

Choose Evansville for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Evansville profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Appleton and Evansville on cost, income, size, and education.

Appleton vs Billings→Appleton vs Eau Claire→Appleton vs La Crosse→Evansville vs Erie→Evansville vs Binghamton→Evansville vs Peoria→

Appleton vs Evansville — frequently asked

Is Appleton cheaper than Evansville?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Appleton and Evansville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Appleton or Evansville?
Appleton has the higher median household income — $82,501 versus $67,459 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Appleton or Evansville?
A paycheck stretches further in Appleton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,268 there versus $73,703 in Evansville.
Which has cheaper rent, Appleton or Evansville?
Evansville has cheaper rent — a median of $1,007/mo versus $1,164/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).