What it's like to live in Caledonia
Caledonia is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Caledonia deals with cold winters, snowy winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 41" per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Caledonia compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Caledonia
Based on Caledonia's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,282
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,640 a year
- 29% of Caledonia renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$60,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $30,340
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 19% below US
$1,141/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,141 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $303,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $303,400 · 29% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 82% below US
60 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 373/100k · Caledonia Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 11% below US
32% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 32% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Pullman National Historical Park (78 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Caledonia's strongest points are rent below the national average and unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and snowy winters. A year of median rent ($1,141/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
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