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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Wisconsin beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Milwaukee stands out at 92 on the index, with rent of $1,398/month and household income of $51,888. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Milwaukee — cost index 92, rent $1,398/mo, income $51,888
Milwaukee rent up 3% over the past year
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities in Wisconsin beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Milwaukee stands out at 92 on the index, with rent of $1,398/month and household income of $51,888. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
What does daily life actually cost in Milwaukee? Start with the 32% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. And with some exceptions, on the category level, Housing (index 81) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $51,888 and homes at $216,278 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
561,385 residents · Wisconsin
The numbers for Milwaukee are straightforward: 92 on the cost index, $1,398/month rent, $51,888 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. It lines up with what you'd expect.
280,305 residents · Wisconsin
Dive into Madison's numbers: cost index 105 (7 points below national average), rent $1,649/month, income $76,983, and a home price of $415,530. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 97, while Housing runs 113. With 280,305 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Cities are ranked by their healthcare cost sub-index within Wisconsin. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Milwaukee ranks #1 in Wisconsin for this analysis with a cost index of 92 and median income of $51,888.
Milwaukee, WI has the lowest healthcare index at 95, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Milwaukee (ranked #1) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,398/mo, while Madison (ranked #2) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,649/mo — a 13-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Milwaukee is $1,398/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $497 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Milwaukee is $216,278, which is 4.2× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Wisconsin has a 7.65% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.44%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.51%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.