Medford, OR vs Kenosha, WI: cost of living compared

Price levels from BEA (2024); rent and home values from Zillow (September 2026).

The short answer

  • Overall, living costs in Kenosha, WI and Medford, OR are within 1% of each other (BEA, 2024).
  • To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Medford works out to about $74,800 in Kenosha, before taxes.
  • Housing is 1.9% lower in Kenosha, goods 0.9% higher and other services 0.0% higher, which roughly cancel out.
  • Utility prices (electricity, gas, water) are 16.0% lower in Kenosha.
  • Zillow does not publish typical rent for Kenosha, so rents are not compared here.
  • The gap has narrowed since 2019, when Kenosha was 2.0% more expensive than Medford.

derived Calculated from BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) and Zillow data. Based on an average household's spending; taxes not included. How we calculate.

Try your own salary

18% matches BEA's average basket. Set your own share if housing takes more or less of your budget.

Category by category

Both cities against the US average (100). The gap in each row is what matters for a move.

Overall prices are about the same in Medford and Kenosha

Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
All items
Medford, OR: 101.4 Kenosha, WI: 101.1
Goods
Medford, OR: 105.3 Kenosha, WI: 106.2
Housing (rents)
Medford, OR: 97.7 Kenosha, WI: 95.8
Utilities
Medford, OR: 102.3 Kenosha, WI: 85.9
Other services
Medford, OR: 100.3 Kenosha, WI: 100.3

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
All items101.4101.1
Goods105.3106.2
Housing (rents)97.795.8
Utilities102.385.9
Other services100.3100.3
CategoryMedfordKenoshaKenosha vs Medford
All items 101.4 101.1 −0.3%
Goods 105.3 106.2 +0.9%
Housing (rents) 97.7 95.8 −1.9%
Utilities 102.3 85.9 −16.0%
Other services 100.3 100.3 0.0%
Salary to match $75,000 in Medford $75,000 $74,800 −0.3%

Index values: BEA, 2024, US = 100. Rent and home values: Data Provided by Zillow Group, September 2026.

How the gap has changed since 2008

The price gap between Medford and Kenosha has narrowed since 2008: 6.3 points then, 0.3 now

Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
US average = 100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
200897.5103.7
200999.6102.9
201098.7100.1
2011102.0103.1
2012100.999.3
201397.2100.1
201498.4101.3
201598.7101.0
201698.1100.2
2017100.0102.5
2018102.6100.9
201999.9101.9
2020101.999.4
2021102.2101.5
2022105.7102.5
2023103.4100.5
2024101.4101.1

Goods

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
US = 100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
200895.6103.6
2009100.8105.1
201097.6104.4
201199.0104.9
201299.3102.7
201397.9101.6
201496.3101.5
201595.199.4
201694.099.6
201799.8102.6
2018104.6103.8
2019104.5104.7
2020104.6103.3
2021106.5105.6
2022109.1106.1
2023104.8103.7
2024105.3106.2

Housing (rents)

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
US = 100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
2008101.1109.1
200996.598.2
201099.784.2
2011106.196.0
2012101.380.6
201389.990.3
201495.7101.0
2015100.4101.5
2016101.787.9
2017102.294.3
201899.488.0
201989.4103.5
2020102.483.1
2021103.786.8
2022105.692.3
2023101.391.7
202497.795.8

Utilities

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
US = 100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
200879.8102.6
200982.1102.6
201086.397.5
201189.3100.2
201291.097.0
201388.693.6
201491.7100.8
201592.4103.3
201689.6102.1
201784.2101.0
201890.398.8
201991.988.1
202091.490.7
202193.288.1
202285.785.4
202388.683.1
2024102.385.9

Other services

  • Medford, OR
  • Kenosha, WI
US = 100

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).

Show the numbers
Medford, ORKenosha, WI
200898.8102.2
2009101.4103.2
2010100.0102.8
2011103.3104.5
2012102.5104.4
2013100.8103.4
2014101.6101.3
2015101.1101.8
2016100.0104.4
2017100.4105.2
2018103.4103.6
2019101.8100.4
2020100.4103.7
202199.1104.5
2022104.5104.3
2023104.2102.2
2024100.3100.3

More about each city

What this comparison leaves out

  • Taxes. State and local income, sales and property taxes can change the result a lot, especially between states.
  • Neighborhoods. These are metro-wide averages; a city center and its outer suburbs can differ by more than two metros do.
  • Your own spending mix. The default uses an average household. Use the housing slider above if rent is a bigger share of your budget.
  • Timing. BEA price levels are for 2024; Zillow figures are monthly and newer.