Moving from Detroit to Wausau
You'd keep $482 more a month in Wausau
+$5,784 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Detroit leftover
$2,473
a month after tax and rent
Wausau leftover
$2,955
+$482 vs Detroit
| Per month | Detroit | Wausau | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,625 | $7,462 | −$163 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,049 | $1,818 | −$232 |
| Take-home pay | $5,576 | $5,644 | +$68 |
| Rent | $1,194 | $778 | −$416 |
| Getting around | $560 | $542 | −$18 |
| Groceries | $372 | $378 | +$6 |
| Healthcare | $419 | $425 | +$6 |
| Utilities | $233 | $236 | +$3 |
| Everything else | $326 | $330 | +$4 |
| Left over | $2,473 | $2,955 | +$482 |
To break even in Wausau, you'd need to earn
$80,500
Household gross, versus $91,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Detroit does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,199
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.9% in Detroit, 24.4% in Wausau.
More about Wausau
Detroit, MI in full
Engineering wages against some of the cheapest urban housing in America.
Wausau, WI in full
State income tax topping out at 7.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $926 and 190 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Wausau on Wausau wages.
Wausau → Detroit →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Wausau than Detroit?
A one-bedroom is about $1,194 in Detroit versus $778 in Wausau. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $482 a month higher in Wausau. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Wausau have state income tax?
Wausau is in Wisconsin, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Detroit to Wausau?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Wisconsin tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.