Is Appleton cheaper than Green Bay?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Appleton and Green Bay metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Appleton or Green Bay?

Appleton has the higher median household income — $82,501 versus $79,876 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Appleton or Green Bay?

A paycheck stretches further in Appleton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,268 there versus $85,809 in Green Bay.

Which has cheaper rent, Appleton or Green Bay?

Green Bay has cheaper rent — a median of $1,052/mo versus $1,164/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Appleton vs Green Bay

Metro-area medians — Appleton, WI Metro Area vs Green Bay, WI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Appleton comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Appleton and Green Bay cost about the same to live in, but Appleton households earn about 3% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Appleton.

Their widest everyday difference: Green Bay has the tighter job market — 1.8% unemployment versus 2.1%.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Appleton, WI

$58,454

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,248

real value after local prices

Green Bay, WI

$58,454

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$62,795

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Appleton leaves you about $453/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

Green Bay

Livability (CityLedger)

71/100

65/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.4

93.1

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,268

$85,809

Median household income

$82,501

$79,876

Median rent

$1,164/mo

$1,052/mo

Median home value

$297,500

$295,100

Unemployment

2.1%

1.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

33.3%

31.6%

Average commute

19.9 min

22.1 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

46°F

Choose Appleton for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Appleton profile →

Choose Green Bay for

+ Median rent
+ Unemployment

Full Green Bay profile →

More comparisons

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

Appleton vs Billings→Appleton vs Eau Claire→Appleton vs La Crosse→Green Bay vs Peoria→Green Bay vs Roanoke→Green Bay vs Fort Wayne→

Appleton vs Green Bay — frequently asked

Is Appleton cheaper than Green Bay?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Appleton and Green Bay metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Appleton or Green Bay?: Appleton has the higher median household income — $82,501 versus $79,876 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Appleton or Green Bay?: A paycheck stretches further in Appleton. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,268 there versus $85,809 in Green Bay.
Which has cheaper rent, Appleton or Green Bay?: Green Bay has cheaper rent — a median of $1,052/mo versus $1,164/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).