Living in Wausau, WI
Small city in Wisconsin
Wausau is a small city in Wisconsin, home to about 40,000 people, with 140,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Wausau a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $230k and rents for $1,510 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 78°F
- Dog-friendly: 4 dog parks within 9 mi
- Strong healthcare: 2 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 140,000 people live within 31 mi
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer graduates: 30% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Wausau ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Wausau: common questions
What is the cost of living in Wausau?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $230k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,510 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Wausau?
Wisconsin collects about $1,734 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.95% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Wausau safe?
Violent crime is close to the national rate (1.1× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Wausau?
Public schools in Wausau test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Wausau?
Wausau has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 26°F and summer days around 78°F, with roughly 63″ of snow a year.
Does Wausau get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from cold waves and flooding: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.68 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Wausau?
The nearest major airport is MKE, about 164 mi away.
How Wausau scores
Each bar compares Wausau with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Wausau
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Wisconsin.
Is Wausau right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.