Milwaukee, WI vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Milwaukee to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,238 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Milwaukee vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Milwaukee, WI, you'd need about $112,298 in Chicago, IL (+$12,298).
Livability — Milwaukee, WI: 62 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,178 sqft in Milwaukee vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($230 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Milwaukee, WI | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,456 | $27,192 | +$8,736 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $5,215 | +$524 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,550 | +$465 |
| Utilities | $4,464 | $4,800 | +$336 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $6,804 | $8,051 | +$1,247 |
| Total | $37,680 | $48,988 | +$11,308 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Milwaukee, WI: 6.8% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Milwaukee, WI | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.7 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.84% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.4% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.44 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $390,238 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $230 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,538 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 10.9% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.62% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.8 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 6.2% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 97 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 7 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 92% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 73.7% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 90.5 — Relatively Moderate | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $42 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $85 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 320 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.6 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.7 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |
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