City in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Data-backed housing guide by Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®. Figures as of 2026-07-03.
| Typical home value | $310,121 |
|---|---|
| 1-year change | +3.4% |
| 5-year change | +28.4% |
| Typical rent | $1,260 per month |
| Gross rent yield | +4.9% |
The typical home in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin is worth about $310,121 as of 2026-07-03, up 3.4% over the past year and up 28.4% over five years. Source: Zillow Home Value Index, compiled by Sawar Homes.
In South Milwaukee, rents are climbing faster than home prices. Over the past year, typical rent rose 4.8% to $1,260 per month while home values rose 3.4%. When rent growth outruns price growth, gross yields firm up — and South Milwaukee's stands at 4.88%.
The typical home value is $310,121 as of April 30, 2026, ranking 13th of 19 Milwaukee County municipalities. That is $84,137 below the county median of $394,258 and $145,713 below the seven-county regional median of $455,834. Five-year appreciation totals 28.4%.
South Milwaukee anchors a cluster of similarly priced lakeshore-corridor markets: St. Francis at $292,464, Cudahy at $292,625, and Brown Deer at $295,131 all sit within about $18,000 of it, with Greenfield above at $334,170.
The city maps almost entirely to ZIP 53172, where the typical value is $304,653 and typical rent is $1,318 — the ZIP-level rent actually runs $58 above the citywide typical of $1,260. Either figure supports the ownership math: at $1,260, a year of typical rent is roughly $15,100 against a $310,121 typical value, which is where the 4.88% gross yield comes from.
Growth here is steady rather than dramatic. The 3.4% one-year gain trails Greenfield's 5.7% but leads Brown Deer's 2.4% among nearby markets, and 28.4% over five years means an owner tracking the typical value gained roughly $69,000 since 2021. None of this guarantees the next five years — but as of April 2026, both prices and rents were moving up, with rents moving faster.
| ZIP code | Typical home value | 1-year change | Typical rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53172 | $304,653 | +4.6% | $1,318/mo |
| Homes sold (arms-length, single-family) | 190 |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $290,000 |
| Middle 50% of sales | $236,250 to $349,975 |
| Government-backed financing (FHA/VA/USDA) | 5.3% |
| Seller-financed | 0% |
Over the 12 months ending June 2026, 190 single-family homes sold in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin in arms-length transactions, at a median price of $290,000. Half of those sales fell between $236,250 and $349,975. Source: Wisconsin Department of Revenue real estate transfer returns, compiled by Sawar Homes — every recorded sale, including for-sale-by-owner and builder-direct transactions that never appear in the MLS.
Zillow’s typical-home-value estimate for South Milwaukee is $310,121, while homes that actually changed hands had a median price of $290,000 — a difference of -6.5%. These measure different things, and neither is wrong: the index estimates the value of every home whether or not it sold, while the sale figure reflects only the homes that changed hands, which usually skew toward the more affordable end of the market.
For buyers: South Milwaukee's $310,121 typical value buys into Milwaukee County at $84,137 under the county median, in a price band shared with Cudahy, St. Francis, and Brown Deer. The rent comparison is worth running — at $1,260 typical rent (and $1,318 in ZIP 53172), the annual cost of renting is approaching 5% of the typical purchase price, which strengthens the case for owning for anyone planning to stay put. Investors should note the 4.88% gross yield and 4.8% one-year rent growth, keeping in mind gross figures exclude operating costs.
For sellers: 3.4% annual appreciation gives you a modest but real tailwind, and 28.4% five-year growth means substantial equity for pre-2021 buyers. Your direct competition is tight — three nearby municipalities cluster within $18,000 of South Milwaukee's typical value — so condition and preparation carry more pricing weight here than in markets with wider gaps between comps. The rising-rent environment also keeps investor and first-time-buyer demand in the pool for well-priced listings.
South Milwaukee meets Lake Michigan at Grant Park, where the Seven Bridges Trail, a swimming beach, and a lakeside golf course line the city's eastern edge. Oak Creek winds through town along the Oak Creek Parkway and its Mill Pond, and the downtown blocks around Milwaukee Avenue hold the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center and a weekly summer market.
Dates and details change year to year — check each event’s organizers for current schedules.
The typical home value in South Milwaukee is $310,121 as of April 30, 2026, up 3.4% over the past year and 28.4% over five years.
Typical rent is $1,260 per month citywide, up 4.8% over the past year. In ZIP 53172 the typical rent is $1,318.
The data shows a gross rent yield of 4.88%, with rents up 4.8% in the past year — faster than the 3.4% growth in home values. Gross yield is before taxes, insurance, and maintenance, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
South Milwaukee's typical value of $310,121 is about $17,500 above both Cudahy ($292,625) and St. Francis ($292,464), and $15,000 above Brown Deer ($295,131).
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Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®, serving Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties). Email: [email protected] · Phone: (618) 713-2964.
How to choose a real estate agent in South Milwaukee and Milwaukee — a five-question checklist
Get a free South Milwaukee home valuation · Contact Kinan Sawar
Home values and rents are Zillow ZHVI/ZORI estimates for the named area, as of 2026-07-03; incomes and population are U.S. Census (SAIPE, Population Estimates); migration is IRS Statistics of Income. Area-level statistical estimates for information only — not an appraisal, and not financial, legal, or tax advice.