Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Janesville's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Janesville?
Your $100,000 in Janesville has the same purchasing power as $112,095 in the average US city. You'd need $12,095 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Janesville's cost index of 89, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Janesville usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, on the calmer side of the national distribution, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Janesville sits at 89 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 11% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $993/mo against a typical household income of $68,610, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Janesville reports about 2,151 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Janesville's air quality index averages about 43 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Janesville is about 21 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Janesville's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Janesville does winter the real way. Averages around 15°F keep snow on the ground for weeks at a time, and lakes and rivers tend to freeze hard enough to walk on.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Janesville averages roughly 15°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Janesville runs about 80°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 6, give or take a half-zone. Janesville's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 6 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Janesville is at about 863 feet (263 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Janesville's reported crime rate of about 2,151 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Janesville's composite cost-of-living index is 89, roughly 11% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Somewhat. Janesville earns a Walk Score of 54/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips. Transit Score is 31 out of 100.
Roughly $62,447 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Janesville runs about $993/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.