Cost of living in Wisconsin
Prices in Wisconsin are 5.9% below the U.S. average, and it ranks #30 of 51 for the salary needed to live a typical American lifestyle (#1 is the most expensive). Here's what it takes in 2026.
What your salary is worth in Wisconsin
Take-home in Wisconsin: $65,090 a year
The default is a move from Illinois, the state that sends the most movers to Wisconsin (IRS 2022–2023), at about its median household income; a salary and filing status you entered in another tool carry over. Pick Wisconsin if you already live here.
$85,000 a year in Wisconsin leaves you about $65,090 after taxes once you pay $9,870 federal income tax, $6,503 Social Security and Medicare and $3,537 Wisconsin income tax.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction, 2026 rules, no city income tax. Buying power: your take-home at Wisconsin prices vs. the U.S. median household income ($81,604) taxed the same way in a typical state.
Salary needed to live in Wisconsin
Typical lifestyle. We take the U.S. median household income of $81,604, taxed as a single filer in a typical state, and find the Wisconsin salary that buys the same after taxes at Wisconsin prices (price level 94.1, where the U.S. = 100). At $79,700, a single filer here pays $8,704 federal income tax, $6,097 Social Security and Medicare, and $3,223 state income tax, keeping $61,676. A married couple filing jointly needs about $79,700 of combined pay, measured against a couple earning the U.S. median taxed jointly. That figure differs from the single-filer one only because of joint tax rates; it isn't a larger budget for two people. For that, see the salary needed for a couple or a family.
Renting. The median Wisconsin rent is $1,142 a month, 23% below the U.S. median of $1,487. Keeping it to 30% of gross pay, a common affordability line, takes $45,680 a year.
Buying. The median Wisconsin home is worth $294,700, 18% below the U.S. median. Lenders prefer housing costs under 28% of gross income, so it takes about $84,055 with 20% down, or $97,151 with 10% down (including mortgage insurance).
Taxes. Wisconsin ranks about the same for prices (#32 of 51) as for the salary needed (#30), because its taxes are close to those of states with similar prices. Wisconsin taxes wages at graduated rates that rise with income: about $3,223 at the typical-lifestyle salary, or 4.0% of pay, and a larger share of higher salaries. Homeowners pay a median $3,680 a year in property tax, about 1.25% of the median home's value, against 0.89% nationally.
Salary needed for a family in Wisconsin
A family of four, two adults with children aged 4 and 9, needs about $168,100 a year in Wisconsin to live like the single adult above, sized for four people. A single parent with one child needs about $132,100, and a couple without children about $100,800. For comparison, the median four-person household in Wisconsin earned $127,471 in 2024 (Census ACS table B19019 (opens in new tab)). Our figure is higher because it starts from what the median U.S. household earns, whatever its size, and sizes that standard of living up for four people.
The single adult's typical-lifestyle salary above leaves $47,972 a year after taxes and rent for everything else: food, transportation, health care, utilities, savings and the rest. A bigger household needs more of that. We scale it with the Census Bureau's equivalence scale for household size, the one behind its Supplemental Poverty Measure (opens in new tab): 1.41 times as much for a couple, 1.51 for a single parent with one child and 2.16 for two adults with two children. Each household also pays the median rent for a home with enough bedrooms (two with children) and full-time center care for a child under 5, and its taxes use its own filing status and child tax credits.
| Household | Salary needed | Taxes | Rent | Child care | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single adult single filer | $79,700 | $18,024 | $13,704 all homes | none | $47,972 |
| Couple, no children married, joint | $100,800 | $19,293 | $13,704 all homes | none | $67,803 |
| Single parent, 1 child head of household; age 4 | $132,100 | $30,934 | $13,788 2 bedrooms | $15,039 | $72,339 |
| Family of 4 married, joint; ages 4 and 9 | $168,100 | $35,812 | $13,788 2 bedrooms | $15,039 | $103,461 |
This is a modeled lifestyle benchmark, not a minimum income requirement. Its starting budget uses national median household income as a single-adult reference before scaling for larger households; family estimates can therefore exceed what typical families earn. Use your own expenses in the personal move budget for an individual plan. Taxes: 2026 federal and Wisconsin income tax with the standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare. Households with children get the federal child tax credit ($2,200 a child). The federal child and dependent care credit isn't counted; on the 4-year-old's care it is worth $600 to $1,050 at these incomes (20% to 35% of $3,000), so taxes for those households may be that much lower. Any state exemption or deduction for dependents isn't included, so where the state has one, state tax for the households with children may be a little lower. The single parent files as head of household on both the federal and Wisconsin returns.
Child care: full-time center care for the 4-year-old at Child Care Aware of America's 2024 Wisconsin average price; the 9-year-old is in school, and before- and after-school care isn't counted. Rent: Census ACS 2024 median gross rent for all homes, or for two bedrooms with children (table B25031). These are the move calculator's own figures: see the family of 4 in the calculator.
What things cost in Wisconsin
Overall, prices in Wisconsin are 5.9% below the U.S. average. The widest gap is in housing (79.3, 20.7% below average); other services are closest to it, at 99.5.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the state.
| Measure | Wisconsin | Compared with U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,142/mo | 23% lower ($1,487) |
| Median home value | $294,700 | 18% lower ($360,600) |
| Median property tax | $3,680/yr | 15% higher ($3,211) |
| Average electric bill | $111/mo | 22% lower ($142) |
| Infant child care (center) | $17,963/yr | 2024 state average |
Cost of living by metro area in Wisconsin
Madison is the most expensive of the 2 metro areas we cover centered in Wisconsin: a single filer needs about $82,900 there for a typical lifestyle, against $82,500 in Milwaukee. Statewide, it's $79,700.
| Metro area | Salary needed | Price level | Median rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | $90,500 | 104.8 | $1,444/mo |
| Madison, WI | $82,900 | 97.3 | $1,437/mo |
| Milwaukee, WI | $82,500 | 96.9 | $1,177/mo |
| Wisconsin statewide | $79,700 | 94.1 | $1,142/mo |
Salary needed: a single filer with Wisconsin taxes and the metro's price level, the same method as the statewide figure. Minneapolis is centered outside Wisconsin; prices and rent there cover the whole metro area. Price level: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (U.S. = 100). Rent: Census ACS 2024 median gross rent.
States with a similar cost of living
- Indiana $79,500
- Montana $80,000
- North Carolina $79,000
- Nevada $80,600
- South Carolina $78,800
- Idaho $80,900
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of living in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin's price level is 94.1 (U.S. = 100), 5.9% below the national average, and it ranks #30 of 51 for the salary needed to live a typical lifestyle, where #1 is the most expensive. The median rent is $1,142 a month and the median home is worth $294,700.
How much do you need to make to live comfortably in Wisconsin?
A single filer needs about $79,700 a year in Wisconsin to match the buying power of the U.S. median household income ($81,604) in a typical state, after 2026 federal and state taxes and local prices. Filing jointly, a married couple needs about $79,700 of combined pay to match a couple earning that same $81,604 taxed jointly. It differs from the single-filer figure only because of joint tax rates; it isn't a budget for two people. Sized for two people, a couple needs about $100,800. Renting the median Wisconsin home at 30% of income takes $45,680.
What salary do you need in Wisconsin for a family of 4?
About $168,100 a year for two adults and two children (ages 4 and 9) filing jointly, for the same standard of living as the single adult's typical lifestyle in Wisconsin, sized for four people. That pays $35,812 in 2026 taxes after the child tax credit, $13,788 in rent (the median for two bedrooms), $15,039 for full-time child care for the 4-year-old and $103,461 for everything else. A single parent with one child needs about $132,100, and a couple without children about $100,800. For comparison, the median four-person household in Wisconsin earned $127,471 in 2024 (Census ACS).
Does Wisconsin have a state income tax?
Yes. On $79,700 a single filer pays about $3,223 in Wisconsin income tax in 2026.
What is the cheapest metro area in Wisconsin?
Of the 2 metro areas we cover centered in Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI has the lowest price level (96.9), and a single filer needs about $82,500 there for a typical lifestyle. Madison, WI is the most expensive (97.3, about $82,900).