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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Wisconsin face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 2 cities. It lines up with what you'd expect. Milwaukee — index 92, rent $1,398/mo, healthcare index 95 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
#1 Ranked: Milwaukee — cost index 92, rent $1,398/mo, income $51,888
Milwaukee rent up 3% over the past year
Family-weighted scoring: income $51,888, healthcare index 95, population 561,385 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Families relocating within Wisconsin face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 2 cities. It lines up with what you'd expect. Milwaukee — index 92, rent $1,398/mo, healthcare index 95 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
What does daily life actually cost in Milwaukee? Start with the 32% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. 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.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Milwaukee leads because it scores across all four. Madison and the runner-up follow with different strengths in income and population.
Frankly, the real cost of living can't be reduced to a single number. But this comes close: 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. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
Now, the part that complicates the narrative: Across Wisconsin, the average cost of living index is 99 — 13 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. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
561,385 residents · Wisconsin
Here's Milwaukee by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,398/month. Income: $51,888/year. Home price: $216,278. Population: 561,385. The strongest category is Housing at 81; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,964 per year vs. the national median. This is worth factoring into any relocation decision.
280,305 residents · Wisconsin
A closer look at Madison: the cost index of 105 breaks down to a Utilities index of 97 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 113 (weakest). Median rent is $1,649/month — 13% below the national median — while household income sits at $76,983, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
Milwaukee ranks #1 in Wisconsin for this analysis with a cost index of 92 and median income of $51,888.
Milwaukee scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,398/mo, and competitive median income of $51,888.
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.