State profile
Wisconsin Cost of Living Comparison
Wisconsin's 2024 price level is 94.095, 5.91% below the national level, with goods the eighth-cheapest in the country (94.310) and renters spending only 27.2% of income on gross rent.
Updated
94.095Wisconsin all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 20 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Wisconsin | North Carolina | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 94.095 | 94.326 | −0.231 points |
| Rent price level | 79.312 | 81.364 | −2.052 points |
| Home value | $266,500±$1,051 | $288,900±$1,086 | −$22,400 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,106±$6 | $1,164±$7 | −$58 |
| Household income | $77,485±$455 | $72,388±$324 | +$5,097 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $3,792±$12 | $1,896±$8 | +$1,896 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Wisconsin scales to $4,010 in North Carolina at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Wisconsin: cheap goods, light rent burden, weighty property taxes
Wisconsin's savings start at the store. Goods rank eighth-lowest of 51, and rents (79.312) 20th; utilities (89.906) and other services (99.501) are closer to the middle. The two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,106 ranks 33rd, and with a median household income of $77,485 renters spend 27.2% of income on gross rent, one of the lightest burdens in the country (rank 47).
Owners see a different picture. The median real estate tax paid is $3,792 a year, rank 16, on homes with a median value of $266,500 that ranks 31st. Owners with a mortgage report median monthly costs of $1,689.
Price-adjusted income is close to average: real per capita personal income is $58,273, rank 26.
The state government collected $25.30 billion in fiscal 2025, $4,236 per resident (rank 25). Individual income tax supplied 40.4%, general sales 31.0% and corporate income tax 10.8%. County and city sales taxes come on top of the state rate; the Minnesota vs Wisconsin page compares the two states' purchase taxes directly.
The relative price level rose from 92.666 in 2020 to 94.095 in 2024, a gain of 1.429 points, most of it in the last two years.
Wisconsin is cheaper than three of its four neighbours. Illinois is at 99.958, Minnesota at 98.621 with a two-bedroom median of $1,356, or $250 a month more, and Michigan at 96.217. Iowa, at 87.762, is cheaper. North Carolina (94.326) is the nearest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Wisconsin
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 94.095 | 20 | 5.91% below |
| Goods | 94.310 | 8 | 5.69% below |
| Housing (rents) | 79.312 | 20 | 20.69% below |
| Utilities | 89.906 | 25 | 10.09% below |
| Other services | 99.501 | 25 | 0.50% below |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $58,273 | 26 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 92.666 · 2021 93.309 · 2022 92.401 · 2023 93.220 · 2024 94.095 (+1.429 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,689±$5 · rank 32, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $659±$3 · rank 21
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 27.2%±0.2 · rank 47
Wisconsin state tax collections, FY2025
$25.30 billion in total, $4,236 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $10.22 billion | 40.4% | $1,711 |
| General sales | $7.83 billion | 31.0% | $1,311 |
| Property | $70.2 million | 0.3% | $12 |
| Motor fuel | $1.18 billion | 4.7% | $198 |
| Other selective sales | $1.71 billion | 6.7% | $286 |
| Corporate income | $2.72 billion | 10.8% | $456 |
| Licenses | $1.44 billion | 5.7% | $241 |
| Severance | $0.0 million | 0.0% | $0 |
| Other taxes | $128.1 million | 0.5% | $21 |
Wisconsin beside its neighbours
Before you budget a move
For Wisconsin, keep the household’s retirement-income eligibility and any approved subtractions or credits separate from housing costs. The state price index cannot establish an individual return or make a missing liability zero. This page compares verified state prices and population medians; use the prepared annual cash amounts from the household’s own tax analysis in the budget.
For Milwaukee-area, Madison-area or another destination, compare actual wages, lease utility terms and the commute. A move involving Minnesota requires the real residence and work locations for tax preparation. The historical gross-rent median is a starting benchmark, not a quote for one dwelling or employer offer.
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