Moving from Chicago, IL to Milwaukee, WI
Chicago to Milwaukee is a move of about 100 miles. Median rent is $1,139 a month in Milwaukee and $1,430 in Chicago, and the median home is $306,400 against $323,000. State income tax is up to 7.65% in Milwaukee and a flat 4.95% in Chicago. Property tax runs 1.44% of home value in Milwaukee and 1.98% in Chicago.
Moving to Milwaukee costs about
$560/mo
less than Chicago each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 3 months
Moving costs somewhere around $1,520, and Milwaukee runs about $560 a month cheaper. After roughly 3 months you are ahead.
Chicago vs Milwaukee at a glance
| Chicago | Milwaukee | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $323,000 | $306,400 |
| Median rent | $1,430/mo | $1,139/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | Up to 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.98% | 1.44% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 107 | 94 |
| Utilities | 84 | 92 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Chicago vs Milwaukee
| Monthly | Chicago | Milwaukee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,430 | $1,139 | -$291 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $288 | -$30 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $96 | $73 | -$23 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,966 | $1,719 | -$247 |
| Utilities | $341 | $374 | +$33 |
| Total | -$558 | ||
Cost to move from Chicago to Milwaukee
$1,200 to $3,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $0 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so those come from Illinois and Wisconsin. Compare the whole states instead to see how each metro sits against the state it is in.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Milwaukee, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.