Milwaukee, WI vs Los Angeles, CA
Moving from Milwaukee to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,238 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.
Milwaukee vs Los Angeles 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 $127,430 in Los Angeles, CA (+$27,430).
Livability — Milwaukee, WI: 62 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,178 sqft in Milwaukee vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($230 vs $646 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Milwaukee, WI | Los Angeles, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,456 | $34,908 | +$16,452 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $5,354 | +$663 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $5,125 | +$2,040 |
| Utilities | $4,464 | $7,320 | +$2,856 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $6,804 | $8,826 | +$2,022 |
| Total | $37,680 | $61,713 | +$24,032 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Milwaukee, WI: 6.8% · Los Angeles, CA: 8.8% (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 | Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.7 | 114.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.84% | 6.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.4% | -1.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 80 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.44 | $6.53 |
| Median home price | $390,238 | $968,608 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 10.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.3% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $230 | $646 |
| Median rent | $1,538 | $2,909 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 10.9% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.62% | 0.69% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.8 yrs | 79.9 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 97 | 81 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 7 | 21 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 92% | 72% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 73.7% | 67.1% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 90.5 — Relatively Moderate | 100.0 — Very High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.85 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $42 | $138 |
| Home internet / mo | $85 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 320 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 45 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.6 | 14.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.7 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 73% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in Milwaukee or Los Angeles
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.