State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Wisconsin
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Wisconsin from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 13 metro areas.
- 94.1
- Statewide RPP
- #32
- of 51 states by cost
- 79.3
- Rents RPP
- 13
- Metro areas
Wisconsin ranks #32 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- rose +0.9 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to North Carolina
The verdict
Wisconsin costs less than 63% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 94.1, 5.9% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 79.3
- North Carolina
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.2 points away
- Kenosha
- highest-cost metro, 101.1
- Fond du Lac
- lowest-cost metro, 91.6
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $106,276 when earned in Wisconsin.
Metro areas in Wisconsin, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenosha | 101.1 | 106.2 | 85.9 | 95.8 |
| 2 | Madison | 97.3 | 93.8 | 89.8 | 99.7 |
| 3 | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 96.9 | 93.8 | 91.6 | 97.1 |
| 4 | Racine-Mount Pleasant | 96.0 | 93.8 | 90.0 | 92.0 |
| 5 | Sheboygan | 94.0 | 93.8 | 87.6 | 80.5 |
| 6 | Janesville-Beloit | 93.7 | 93.8 | 90.4 | 79.6 |
| 7 | Green Bay | 93.1 | 93.8 | 90.0 | 74.7 |
| 8 | Oshkosh-Neenah | 92.9 | 93.8 | 90.6 | 74.4 |
| 9 | Eau Claire | 92.8 | 93.8 | 90.9 | 72.8 |
| 10 | Wausau | 92.7 | 93.8 | 90.0 | 71.5 |
| 11 | Appleton | 92.4 | 93.8 | 90.6 | 70.8 |
| 12 | La Crosse-Onalaska | 91.8 | 93.8 | 89.5 | 69.4 |
| 13 | Fond du Lac | 91.6 | 93.8 | 91.1 | 67.3 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Wisconsin vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
94 Bottom 37% higher than 37% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Reading the Wisconsin Cost of Living Picture
Wisconsin sits in an affordability lane closest to North Carolina, South Carolina, Montana. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. Only 15.0 points separate its reported categories, so the statewide index transfers across household types more cleanly than it does in a polarized cost profile.
Wisconsin captures 13 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Kenosha, WI leads on cost at 101.1, while Fond du Lac, WI sits at the opposite end at 91.6 - a gap of 9.5 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 94.3, for services 89.9, and for rents 79.3. Rents sit within 14.8 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, Wisconsin's statewide index has held steady within 0.9 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $106,276 of national buying power when earned inside Wisconsin, and a household relocating here would need roughly $94,095 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 13 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Wisconsin's overall RPP rose +0.9 points, from 93.2 in 2023 to 94.1 in 2024. The largest category move was rents, changing from 78.3 to 79.3. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Wisconsin RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.9 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.2 |
| 2009 | 94.1 |
| 2010 | 94.7 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 94.3 |
| 2013 | 93.9 |
| 2014 | 93.8 |
| 2015 | 93.3 |
| 2016 | 93.2 |
| 2017 | 93.5 |
| 2018 | 94.0 |
| 2019 | 94.5 |
| 2020 | 92.7 |
| 2021 | 93.3 |
| 2022 | 92.4 |
| 2023 | 93.2 |
| 2024 | 94.1 |
What this means in Wisconsin
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Wisconsin.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Kenosha (101.1) and Fond du Lac (91.6) sit 9 index points apart inside Wisconsin. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 79.3 (20.7% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Wisconsin against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Wisconsin, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Wisconsin: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (94.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (79.3 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in Wisconsin than the U.S. average?
Wisconsin has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 94.1, meaning it is 5.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.3, services at 89.9, and rents at 79.3.
What salary in Wisconsin equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $94,095 in Wisconsin. Conversely, $100K earned in Wisconsin has the purchasing power of $106,276 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Wisconsin?
Rents in Wisconsin are indexed at 79.3, which is 20.7% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which metros stretch Wisconsin's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Wisconsin is Kenosha, WI with an RPP of 101.1. The most affordable is Fond du Lac, WI at 91.6. There are 13 metro areas in Wisconsin with BEA price data.
Is Wisconsin getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Wisconsin's overall cost index changed by +0.9 points (from 93.2 to 94.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.