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Of about 14,275 rented homes in the Wausau area, 99% rent for under $2,000 a month and 100% for under $3,000.
Under $1,000: 56%
$1,000 to $1,499: 36%
$1,500 to $1,999: 6%
$2,000 to $2,499: 0%
$2,500 to $2,999: 0%
$3,000 or more: 0%
Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 (table B25063). Gross rent includes utilities the renter pays. Today's asking rents for open apartments usually run higher.
What moving costs
Hiring movers
Average cost: $1,946
From a 2025 survey of 1,000 people who hired movers. This Old House. Your quote depends on your stuff, stairs and the time of year.
Moving in as a renter
The middle rented home in the Wausau area rents for under $1,000 a month. Before you get the keys, expect about under $2,000 for first month plus a deposit, or up to under $3,000 where landlords also ask for last month.
Many landlords want your income to be about 3 times the rent. For rent under $1,000, that's a yearly income of about under $36,000.
Estimate from Census rent data (2019 to 2023, rent plus tenant-paid utilities). Deposits and fees vary by landlord and state law.
Moving to Wisconsin: before and after
Forward your mail: USPS change of address. It costs about $1 online to confirm who you are.
Switch your driver's license and car registration. Each state sets its own deadline, often somewhere between 10 days and a few months after you move. Find the Wisconsin DMV.
Set up power, gas, water and trash. Some cities bill water and trash together, and some ask new customers for a deposit.
Update your address with your bank, employer, insurance and the IRS (Form 8822 if you're not filing soon).
Find a doctor and dentist early. New-patient waits can be weeks, even in big cities.
Schools
8 public school districts in this county, with about 19,115 students in all. The county also has 5 public charter schools and 16 private schools. Which public school serves a home depends on its address.
Public Public charter Private District that covers the center of Wausau: Wausau School District
District lines: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024. Tap a dot for details. A home's assigned school depends on its address; check with the district before you buy or rent.
Closest public schools to the center of Wausau
Elementary
Lincoln Elementary0.5 mi
Public
grades K to 5 · 222 students · 10.1 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 26%, math about 26% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
Grant Elementary0.6 mi
Public
grades K to 5 · 172 students · 10.1 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 37%, math about 43% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
G D Jones Elementary0.9 mi
Public
grades Pre-K to 5 · 547 students · 14 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 27%, math about 32% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
Middle
John Muir Middle0.3 mi
Public
grades 6 to 8 · 977 students · 13.4 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 36%, math about 37% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
Horace Mann Middle2.3 mi
Public
grades 6 to 8 · 662 students · 13.2 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 34%, math about 30% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
Wausau Area Montessori Charter School2.3 mi
Public charter
grades K to 8 · 101 students · 16.8 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 45%, math about 25% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
High school
West High0.9 mi
Public
grades 9 to 12 · 1,443 students · 14.7 per teacher
East High2.8 mi
Public
grades 9 to 12 · 897 students · 13.6 per teacher
D C Everest Junior High4.7 mi
Public
grades 8 to 9 · 853 students · 15.5 per teacher
Passed the state test: reading about 35%, math about 33% (state: reading about 38%, math about 40%)
Private
Trinity Lutheran School0.3 mi
Private
grades Pre-K to 8 · 155 students · 12.9 per teacher
Newman Catholic High School0.6 mi
Private
grades 6 to 12 · 241 students · 10.5 per teacher
Newman Catholic Schools0.6 mi
Private
grades Pre-K to 12 · 501 students · 8.6 per teacher
Straight-line miles from the center of Wausau, nearest first. Being closest doesn't mean a school serves a given home. "Passed the state test" is the share of students who scored proficient or better on Wisconsin's own reading and math tests in the 2021-22 school year, the latest year the U.S. Department of Education has published for every school. Each state sets its own test and passing bar, so compare schools within the same state, not across states. Test results track family income closely and leave out a lot (teachers, programs, how a school fits your child). For newer results, see the state's school report card.
753 students · 13 students per teacher · 3 schools · grades Pre-K to 12
School choice and pre-K in Wisconsin
Going to school in another district
State law says districts must accept students from other districts when they have room, under set rules. Ask the district you'd like about space and deadlines.
Picking a different school in your district
State law lets each district decide whether families can pick a different school within the district.
Free state pre-K
59% of 4-year-olds in Wisconsin attend state-funded pre-K (U.S.: 37% and 9%). Spots, hours and who qualifies vary by district.
School choice: state law as summarized by the Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison: Open Enrollment Policies (2022). Pre-K: share of children in state-funded pre-K, National Institute for Early Education Research, State of Preschool 2025 Yearbook (2024-25 school year).
NCES Common Core of Data 2022-23, National Center for Education Statistics. Private schools: NCES Private School Survey, 2021-22. Varro doesn't rate or rank schools. For programs and newer results, see each district's site and the state's school report card.
Childcare and colleges
Daycare and preschool
Wisconsin keeps an official list of licensed childcare, with inspection reports and openings in many states. In a lot of towns, infant spots fill up months ahead, so it helps to get on waitlists before you move.
Typical full-time prices in this county (2022)
Age
Daycare center
Home daycare
Infant (under 2)
$236/week
about $12,300 a year
$175/week
about $9,100 a year
Toddler (2)
$210/week
about $10,900 a year
Preschool (3 to 4)
$210/week
about $10,900 a year
$170/week
about $8,800 a year
School-age
$185/week
about $9,600 a year
For an infant at a center: $236/week here, $257 across WI, $259 across the U.S.. Full-time infant care at a center here costs about 13% of a typical family's income. These are 2022 prices, the newest the government has published by county, and prices have gone up since.
U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022. Middle (median) price for full-time care. State and U.S. figures average the county prices, weighted by population (Census 2024).
Moving for school? Public colleges charge state residents much less, and community colleges often charge even less to people who live in their district. Most states want you to have lived there about 12 months, for reasons other than school, before you count as a resident for tuition. The rules differ by state, so check with the college's registrar.
IPEDS 2023-24, National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS). Degree-granting public and nonprofit schools with 100+ students. Varro doesn't rank colleges.
The facts behind it
Typical home value
$270,942
What a typical home sells for across the Wausau area.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index, September 2026
Cost of living
About 7% below the U.S. average
Everyday prices (rent, groceries, services) run about $93 here for what costs $100 nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis price index 92.7 (U.S. = 100), 2024
Drive to the nearest big job hub
About 2 hr 59 min at rush hour
To downtown Milwaukee, WI, 191 miles. About 2 hr 53 min with no traffic.
Source: Google traffic estimate for a weekday morning around 8am
Average commute
19 minutes one way
How long residents' trips to work take on average, counting every job and way of getting there. U.S. average: about 27 minutes.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Data centers nearby
None within 15 miles
No mapped data center buildings near the town center.
Source: PNNL IM3 Data Center Atlas, from OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Homeowners insurance
About $1,812 a year
The statewide average for a typical policy in WI. Your own quote will depend on the home.
Source: Statewide estimate, 2026
Natural disaster risk
Relatively Moderate
FEMA's overall rating for the county, covering floods, storms, wildfire, earthquakes and more.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hail risk
Relatively Moderate
FEMA's rating for hail damage in the county, compared with other U.S. counties.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hospitals nearby
1 within 5 miles
Hospitals mapped within 5 miles of the center. Emergency and specialty care vary, so check which ones fit your needs.
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Drug overdose deaths (county)
11.5 per 100,000 people a year
16 deaths in the 12 months ending March 2026. WI average: 16.1 per 100,000. U.S.: 19.9. Counts are by where people lived, and recent months may still be updated.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, provisional counts through March 2026; Census population estimates 2024
People without housing (local count)
About 7.7 per 10,000 residents
HUD's one-night count in January 2025 found 3,292 people without housing in the Wisconsin Balance of State area (69 counties): 2,975 in shelters and 317 outside, up from 3,201 in 2024. WI: 8.8 per 10,000. U.S.: 21.9. One-night counts miss people, and how areas count differs.
Source: HUD Point-in-Time Count, January 2025 (HUD, 2025 report to Congress); Census population estimates 2024
Unemployment
2.8%
The share of people looking for work who can't find it, averaged over the year. U.S.: about 4%.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
Median household income
$76,185
Half of households in the county earn more than this, half earn less.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Property tax
1.51% of home value a year
About $1,510 a year for every $100,000 of home value.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
State income tax
Graduated, up to 7.65%
WI's state income tax. Some cities and counties add their own.
