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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 111. Milwaukee stands out at 82 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 82, 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 111
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 111. Milwaukee stands out at 82 on the index, with rent of $1,398/month and household income of $51,888. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Why Milwaukee ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 82 on the cost index, residents save roughly 29% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,398/month while the median household pulls in $51,888/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 82, though Healthcare (96) lags behind. Home prices average $216,278 — $251,092 below the national median.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 97 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 3% below the national median. Milwaukee leads at 94, followed by Madison (99) and Madison (99). Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Milwaukee rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Milwaukee has increased from $1,360 to $1,398/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Real talk: and there's one more thing: Across Wisconsin, the average cost of living index is 89 — 22 points below the national median. Known for dairy state stability with surprisingly low costs, the state offers 2 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,524/month. That's $371 less than the national average of $1,895. This is the kind of number that should get your attention.
The short version: Milwaukee stands out — but so do several runners-up that might fit your lifestyle better. Treat this ranking as the starting line, not the finish. Every city links to a full profile. Every profile has salary data by profession. And the calculator lets you model your own numbers. That's how rankings become decisions (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
561,385 residents · Wisconsin
The #1 spot goes to Milwaukee, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,398/month — saving renters $5,964 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 82, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 96. The 32% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
280,305 residents · Wisconsin
Why Madison ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 96 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,649/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $76,983/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 96, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $415,530 — $51,840 below the national median.
Cities are ranked by their utilities 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 82 and median income of $51,888.
Milwaukee, WI has the lowest utilities index at 94, 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 82 and rent of $1,398/mo, while Madison (ranked #2) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,649/mo — a 14-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.