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Homeowners insurance in Wisconsin costs about $1,488 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, according to Insurify, and about $2,175 a year for $400,000 of dwelling coverage, according to NerdWallet. Wisconsin is one of the cheapest states in the country for home insurance, and the reason is mostly geography. No hurricanes, no wildfires, no earthquakes. The risks are snow, ice dams, wind, and flooding, and they cost less to insure against. The cheapest carrier is a regional one most people outside the Midwest have never heard of. West Bend Mutual averages $73 a month, and it beats every national carrier in the state on price.
The catch is the trend. Wisconsin home insurance rates are up 49.7 percent over the last five years, per ValuePenguin, and rose about 7 percent in 2025 alone. The state is cheap, but it is getting less cheap every year. This post compares the datasets, names the cheapest carriers, breaks out Milwaukee and Madison, and explains what is pushing prices up.
What does homeowners insurance cost in Wisconsin?
The published Wisconsin averages run from $1,150 to $2,175 a year. The gap is a profile and date difference. Policygenius at $1,150 is built on March 2022 Quadrant data, so it is the oldest figure here and the lowest. Insurify at $1,488 is built on real-time quotes from November 2026. ValuePenguin at $1,679 prices $350,000 of dwelling coverage. Insurance.com at $1,836 prices $300,000 of dwelling coverage from Quadrant filings. NerdWallet at $2,175 prices $400,000 of dwelling coverage.
| Source | Annual average | Profile priced | Data date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policygenius | $1,150 | $300,000 dwelling, $1,000 deductible, Quadrant data | Mar 2022 |
| Insurify | $1,488 | $300,000 dwelling, real-time quotes from 500 plus partners | Nov 1, 2026 |
| ValuePenguin | $1,679 | $350,000 dwelling, Quadrant filings | 2026 |
| Insurance.com / Quadrant | $1,836 | $300,000 dwelling, $300,000 liability, $1,000 deductible | 2026 |
| NerdWallet | $2,175 | $400,000 dwelling, $300,000 liability, $1,000 deductible | May 2026 |
For a $300,000 dwelling policy, the current figures cluster near $1,488 to $1,836 a year, or about $124 to $153 a month. The national average for the same coverage is $2,872 a year, per Insurance.com, and $231 a month, per Insurify. Wisconsin runs roughly 35 to 48 percent below the country as a whole. The Policygenius figure is worth keeping only as a floor. It is four years old, and Wisconsin rates have risen roughly 50 percent since 2021. A quote built on 2022 data will not match a 2026 renewal.
West Bend Mutual is the cheapest carrier in Wisconsin, and it is not close
West Bend Mutual is the cheapest homeowners insurer in Wisconsin in every dataset that includes it. Insurify puts it at $73 a month, or $876 a year, for $300,000 of dwelling coverage. Insurance.com puts it at $1,198 a year for the same coverage, still the cheapest in its table by a wide margin. ValuePenguin calls it the cheapest for homes that cost $350,000 to $500,000 to rebuild. Policygenius puts it at $820 a year on its older data. The carrier is a Wisconsin regional insurer, and it prices Wisconsin homes from Wisconsin experience.
| Insurer | Insurify monthly | Insurance.com annual ($300k dwelling) | ValuePenguin annual ($350k dwelling) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bend Mutual | $73 | $1,198 | Cheapest for $350k to $500k homes |
| American Family | Not listed | $2,378 | $956 |
| Farmers | Not listed | Not listed | $657 |
| State Farm | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Allstate | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
The table looks thin because the datasets disagree on who belongs in second place, and that disagreement is itself informative. ValuePenguin puts Farmers at $657 a year and American Family at $956 for $350,000 of dwelling coverage, while Insurance.com puts American Family at $2,378 for $300,000 of coverage. The two studies price different profiles in different ZIP codes, and American Family’s price moves a lot between them. What they agree on is the top of the table. West Bend is cheapest, and the gap to the next carrier is hundreds of dollars a year. American Family is the other carrier worth a quote, for a different reason. It is headquartered in Madison, it has the deepest local agent network in the state, and ValuePenguin rates it best for extra coverage options. It also writes flood coverage that many Wisconsin homeowners need. For most Wisconsin homeowners, the shortlist is West Bend first, American Family second, and one national carrier for comparison.
Milwaukee versus Madison: the same state, two different prices
Milwaukee is the most expensive big city in Wisconsin for home insurance, and Madison is one of the cheapest. The gap is smaller than in states like Michigan or Pennsylvania, but it is consistent across every dataset. ValuePenguin puts Milwaukee at $1,690 a year and Madison at $1,557 for $350,000 of dwelling coverage. Insurify puts Milwaukee at $1,440 and Madison at $1,356 for $300,000 of coverage, with Green Bay cheapest at $1,344. Insurance.com puts Milwaukee at $1,846 and Madison at $1,329. Policygenius, on older data, puts Milwaukee at $1,235 and Madison at $1,076.
| City | ValuePenguin annual | Insurify annual | Insurance.com annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | $1,690 | $1,440 | $1,846 |
| Madison | $1,557 | $1,356 | $1,329 |
| Green Bay | Not listed | $1,344 | Not listed |
Milwaukee costs more because it is bigger, denser, and has higher burglary rates. Insuranceopedia reports more than 15,500 residential burglaries a year in Milwaukee, and notes flooding and severe storms as added risks. Madison costs less because it is smaller and has lower crime rates, with about 6,500 residential burglaries a year per the same source. The cheapest carrier follows the city. In Milwaukee, West Bend Mutual averages $921 a year, per Insuranceopedia. In Madison, Erie averages $977 a year, with American Family at $1,070 and West Bend at $1,085. Sheboygan is the cheapest big city in the state, per Policygenius, though it publishes no current figure for it. The practical point is that the city gap is worth roughly $100 to $500 a year, which is real money but far smaller than the $6,000 gap between Detroit and Ann Arbor in Michigan.
Why Wisconsin is cheap, and why it is getting less cheap
Wisconsin’s low prices start with what it does not have. No hurricane coast, no wildfire season, no earthquake fault. The national average is pulled up by Florida at $8,471 a year and by wildfire states, and Wisconsin sits far from all of that. The risks Wisconsin does have are snow, ice dams, wind, and flooding. Snow load and ice dams are the most Wisconsin-specific claims. An ice dam forms when snow melts on a warm roof and refreezes at the eaves, forcing water under the shingles. It is a slow, expensive leak, and it is one of the first things a Wisconsin underwriter asks about. Proper attic insulation and ventilation are the fix, and they are also a discount lever with some carriers.
The rise is the other half of the story. ValuePenguin reports Wisconsin home insurance rates up 49.7 percent over five years, with about 7 percent in 2025 alone. Insurify reports premiums up nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2024 for Madison specifically. The drivers are the same ones pushing rates up everywhere. Rebuild costs have risen faster than general inflation, severe storms have become more frequent and more expensive, and insurers have repriced for both. Chubb had the smallest increase in ValuePenguin’s data, about 15 percent between 2021 and 2025, which suggests the repricing has not hit every carrier equally. That is another reason to shop. A carrier that has already repriced and a carrier that has not can be hundreds of dollars apart for the same house.
What Wisconsin homeowners should check before renewing
First, get a quote from West Bend Mutual. It is the cheapest carrier in the state in every dataset, and many Wisconsin homeowners have never priced it because it is regional and does not advertise nationally. Second, check American Family if you want flood coverage or a local agent. It is headquartered in Madison and its agents know Wisconsin risks. Third, look at your roof. Roof age and condition are among the first things an underwriter checks, and a roof over 20 years old can add hundreds a year or trigger a non-renewal. Fourth, check your deductible. Moving from $500 to $1,000 is usually the cheapest way to cut a Wisconsin premium, as long as you can cover the $1,000 after a claim. Fifth, price flood coverage separately if you live near water. Standard policies exclude flood damage, and Wisconsin has plenty of homes near rivers and lakes. Our guide to flood insurance rates by ZIP code breaks out what flood coverage costs in different areas.
One more check matters in Wisconsin. Sewer backup coverage is a cheap add-on that pays when a drain or sump pump backs up into the house, and it is excluded from standard policies. Wisconsin’s older homes with basements are exactly the houses that need it. Our explainer on sewer backup coverage versus flood insurance spells out what each one pays for, because the two are often confused and they cover different losses.
Key takeaways
Wisconsin homeowners insurance costs about $1,488 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, per Insurify, and about $2,175 a year for $400,000 of coverage, per NerdWallet. The state runs roughly 35 to 48 percent below the national average. West Bend Mutual is the cheapest carrier in every dataset, at $73 a month per Insurify and $1,198 a year per Insurance.com. Milwaukee is the most expensive big city at about $1,440 to $1,846 a year, and Madison is cheaper at about $1,329 to $1,557. Rates are up 49.7 percent over five years, so the cheap state is getting less cheap, and shopping matters more every year. For the car side of the same household, see our cheapest car insurance in Wisconsin guide. For wider context, see our Florida homeowners cost guide and our Washington homeowners cost guide. The external benchmark for this post is Insurify’s Wisconsin homeowners page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is homeowners insurance in Wisconsin per month?
About $124 a month on Insurify’s $1,488 a year figure for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, and about $181 a month on NerdWallet’s $2,175 a year figure for $400,000 of coverage. Insurance.com’s $1,836 a year works out to $153 a month. The range reflects different coverage levels and different insurer sets, not different houses.
What is the cheapest homeowners insurance company in Wisconsin?
West Bend Mutual, in every dataset that includes it. Insurify puts it at $73 a month, Insurance.com at $1,198 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, and ValuePenguin calls it cheapest for homes that cost $350,000 to $500,000 to rebuild. American Family is the other carrier worth a quote, especially for flood coverage and local service.
Is homeowners insurance cheaper in Milwaukee or Madison?
Madison is cheaper. ValuePenguin puts Milwaukee at $1,690 a year and Madison at $1,557 for $350,000 of dwelling coverage. Insurify puts Milwaukee at $1,440 and Madison at $1,356 for $300,000 of coverage. Green Bay is cheapest of the three at $1,344 a year, per Insurify.
Why is Wisconsin homeowners insurance going up?
Rebuild costs have risen faster than general inflation, and severe storms have become more frequent and more expensive. ValuePenguin reports Wisconsin rates up 49.7 percent over five years, with about 7 percent in 2025 alone. Insurify reports Madison premiums up nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2024. The state is still cheap relative to the national average, but the trend is up.
Does homeowners insurance cover ice dam damage in Wisconsin?
Usually yes, if the damage is sudden and accidental. A standard policy typically covers water damage from an ice dam that forces water into the house, but it does not cover the roof repairs that caused it, and it does not cover damage from poor maintenance. Proper attic insulation and ventilation reduce the risk, and some carriers discount for them.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding in Wisconsin?
No. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage everywhere, including Wisconsin. Flood coverage is a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier. Homes near rivers, lakes, and low-lying areas should price it separately, and sewer backup coverage is a different, usually cheap add-on for basement water from drains and sump pumps.
