Moving from Minnesota to Wisconsin
Minnesota to Wisconsin is a move of about 315 miles. Median rent is $1,087 a month in Wisconsin and $1,280 in Minnesota, and the median home is $266,500 against $329,300. State income tax is up to 7.65% in Wisconsin and up to 9.85% in Minnesota. Property tax runs 1.42% of home value in Wisconsin and 1.02% in Minnesota.
Moving to Wisconsin costs about
$380/mo
less than Minnesota each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
A cheaper house in Wisconsin, a bigger property tax bill
The median home in Wisconsin costs $266,500 against $329,300 in Minnesota, but you would pay about $3,784 a year in property tax rather than $3,359. The rate more than cancels the lower price.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin at a glance
| Minnesota | Wisconsin | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $329,300 | $266,500 |
| Median rent | $1,280/mo | $1,087/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 9.85% | Up to 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.02% | 1.42% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 101 | 94 |
| Utilities | 91 | 90 |
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: Minnesota vs Wisconsin
| Monthly | MN | WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,280 | $1,087 | -$193 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $328 | $288 | -$40 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $104 | $73 | -$31 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,843 | $1,729 | -$114 |
| Utilities | $371 | $367 | -$4 |
| Total | -$382 | ||
Cost to move from Minnesota to Wisconsin
$1,500 to $3,500
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Minneapolis is not Minnesota-average and Milwaukee is not Wisconsin-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Wisconsin, 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. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.