Wausau, WI · Updated Oct 2026

What a Wausau home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Wausau house

$5,605a year · $467 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $167,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$2,943
1.894% of $167,900, minus the $178 state lottery credit (owner-occupied homes) and the $59 state first dollar credit
Electricity and gas$1,783
595 kWh a month $1,280 · 56.35 therms $504
Water and sewer$879
4.01 units (CCF) a month on Wausau Water Works: water $37, sewer $36 a month
TrashIncluded
The city provides curbside pick-up of household garbage weekly and recyclables bi-weekly.
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A Wausau house at the typical market value ($167,900) costs about $5,600 a year: $2,940 property tax and charges, $880 water and sewer, $1,780 electricity and gas; trash is paid through property tax, and home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 30, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Sewer consumption adjustment
Sewer charges are calculated based on the volume of water that passes through the meter during each billing quarter.
How: Submit a written adjustment request to Wausau Water Works; it must meet the sewer consumption adjustment policy's criteria.
Residents with disabilities: roll-out cart service
The City has a program to help residents with disabilities manage cart placement on collection day.
How: Apply to City of Wausau Customer Service, 407 Grant Street.

Money dates

20th of the monthBills for water and sewer service are issued quarterly and due the 20th of the month.

Who serves this house

Water: Wausau Water Works; Wausau Water Works bills are issued quarterly for charges for water, sewer, public fire protection
Property tax: 1.89% of value; 2025 tax year, Marathon County, Wausau School District
Garbage: Harter's Fox Valley Disposal (city contract); Weekly garbage and every-other-week recycling pick-up
Water and sewer: Wausau Water Works; Water, sewer and public fire protection billed quarterly
Electricity: Wisconsin Public Service; Schedule Rg-1
Gas: Wisconsin Public Service; Residential firm sales rate

Pay or manage your bills

Other WI cities

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the 2025 net mill rate of 0.018938 for the City of Wausau in the Wausau School District (most homes), from Marathon County's rate table, on the Census median home value of $167,900 (market value; the city says it keeps assessments within ten percent of full market value, and the 2025 assessed total of $4.19 billion is about 95% of DOR's equalized $4.39 billion excluding manufacturing, so this slightly overstates). The lottery credit of $177.70 and first dollar credit of $59.23 come off the bill. Homes in the DC Everest district pay a net rate of 0.01819.
Water: $25.65 quarterly service plus $19.62 quarterly public fire protection for a 5/8-inch meter, divided by 3, plus $5.58 per 100 cubic feet (effective July 1, 2023). Sewer: $36.31 quarterly plus $5.91 per 100 cubic feet of water used (effective April 1, 2023). Bills are quarterly; amounts are shown per month.
Electric adds the Rg-1 energy charge of $0.14802 and the fuel adjustment of $0.00107 per kWh; the daily customer charge of $0.58915 is annualised. Gas is the residential firm rate of $0.4433 per therm plus $17 a month.
Typical electric and gas use is the utility-wide EIA average for Wisconsin Public Service (electric) and the Wisconsin residential gas average. Water use of 4.01 ccf a month is 1,203 cubic feet a quarter, the usage the 2026 Ehlers rate study assumes for a typical 5/8-inch household (reported by Wausau Pilot & Review, 2026-08-31; typical quarterly water plus sewer bill $219.81). Rate increases in that study are proposed for 2027 and later, not in effect.
No stormwater fee was found: Wausau has no stormwater utility; one is only under study. Garbage and recycling are paid through general taxes; no separate trash fee is billed on the water bill or tax bill.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Wausau compares

A typical Wausau house against the 47 Wisconsin cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Wausau	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.89%	1.54%	higher than 37 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover
Water	$450	$461	lower than 26 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$430	$687	lower than 44 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,783	$1,905	lower than 24 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover
Total	$5,605	$7,415	lower than 43 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Wausau's property tax rate is 1.89%, higher than 37 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Wausau is 1.89%, higher than 37 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $430 a year, lower than 44 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $430 a year, lower than 44 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

Common questions about Wausau house costs

What is the property tax rate in Wausau?

About 1.89% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year, Marathon County, Wausau School District), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Wausau?

About $9,232 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Wausau?

About $73 a month for water and sewer at typical use (4.01 units, or 2,999 gallons a month) on Wausau Water Works.

How much does trash pickup cost in Wausau?

The city provides curbside pick-up of household garbage weekly and recyclables bi-weekly.

How much does a house in Wausau cost to run each year?

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