Cost of Living: Milwaukee, WI vs New York, NY

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,207/mo in Milwaukee, WI versus $4,116/mo in New York, NY. In the model, rent is about 15.05% of gross in Milwaukee, WI versus 25.92% in New York, NY, so Milwaukee, WI tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Milwaukee, WI
$4,207/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in New York, NY
$4,116/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Milwaukee, WI
15.05%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in New York, NY
25.92%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Milwaukee, WI and New York, NY.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Milwaukee, WI
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Milwaukee, WI
  • Lower home prices: Milwaukee, WI
  • Higher median household income: New York, NY

Cost of Living Index

Milwaukee, WI: 88.2 (U.S. = 100) · New York, NY: 168.2 (U.S. = 100)

Milwaukee, WI has a lower cost-of-living index than New York, NY, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Milwaukee, WI: $982/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · New York, NY: $1,690/mo

Median rent in New York, NY is $708/mo higher than in Milwaukee, WI.

Median Home Price

Milwaukee, WI: $172,000 · New York, NY: $751,700

Median home price in New York, NY is $579,700 higher than in Milwaukee, WI.

Median Household Income

Milwaukee, WI: $51,888 · New York, NY: $79,713

New York, NY has a higher median household income than Milwaukee, WI by $27,825.

Milwaukee, WI overview · New York, NY overview · Popular comparisons