Madison, WI → Milwaukee, WI
You'd keep $8 more a month in Milwaukee
+$96 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 1,308 households moved Madison → Milwaukee (avg AGI $65,723). 1,347 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Madison | Milwaukee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,792 | $7,636 | −$156 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,933 | $1,878 | −$54 |
| Take-home pay | $5,859 | $5,757 | −$101 |
| Rent | $1,335 | $1,245 | −$90 |
| Getting around | $509 | $503 | −$6 |
| Groceries | $388 | $384 | −$4 |
| Healthcare | $437 | $432 | −$5 |
| Utilities | $243 | $240 | −$3 |
| Everything else | $340 | $336 | −$4 |
| Left over | $2,609 | $2,617 | +$8 |
To break even in Milwaukee, you'd need to earn
$91,500
Household gross, versus $93,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Madison does now.
The tax difference alone
+$99
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.8% in Madison, 24.6% in Milwaukee.
More about Milwaukee
Madison, WI in full
A university town with big-city wages and small-city commutes.
Milwaukee, WI in full
Lake Michigan summers, cheap housing, and a 1.5% property tax.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Milwaukee on Milwaukee wages.
Milwaukee → Madison →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.