What it's like to live in Oshkosh
Oshkosh is a smaller city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Oshkosh deals with household incomes below the national average, cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 39" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Oshkosh compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oshkosh
Based on Oshkosh's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,870
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,400 a year
- 42% of Oshkosh renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$35,540
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,770
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 34% below US
$935/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $935 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $177,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $177,700 · 42% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 33% below US
2.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.9%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 22% below US
257 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1307/100k · Oshkosh Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 30% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 18.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 14°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 24% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
24 public schools inside the boundary
There are 24 public schools inside the boundary and 7 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, 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 Ice Age National Scenic Trail (50 miles away).
Bottom line
Oshkosh's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($935/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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