Illinois vs Wisconsin: Cost of Living, Taxes, Rent and Safety Compared
Weighing a move between Illinois and Wisconsin? Here’s how they compare on the numbers that decide most moves, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states.
Shaded cells are the lower-cost, higher-income or lower-risk figure. Indexes: U.S. average = 100.
What it means for your budget
Rent alone: moving from Illinois to Wisconsin changes a typical two-bedroom rent by −$473 a month (−$5,676 a year); the move the other way flips the sign. Taxes, pay, insurance and the move itself shift too, and how much depends on your income, your household and the city you pick.
That’s exactly what Locustep’s Net-Impact Report works out: your take-home pay after state and local taxes in both places, rent or buy for your budget, insurance and moving costs, and the month the move pays for itself.
Which state fits you better?
On Locustep’s directional scores, Illinois leads on infrastructure and transport, walkability and airport access. Which of those matters depends entirely on you.
Where people look in each state
Illinois
Chicago
$2,011/mo two-bedroom
Chicago is a genuinely great American city — world-class architecture, museums, food and transit, with lakefront summers that make the brutal winters worth it. Housing is cheap for its size, though property taxes and neighbourhood-level violence vary sharply.
Naperville
$2,011/mo two-bedroom
Naperville is an affluent western suburb of Chicago with top-rated schools, a riverwalk and a commuter train downtown. Safe, family-focused, expensive by Illinois standards, and thoroughly suburban.
Springfield
$1,237/mo two-bedroom
Springfield is Illinois's state capital and Lincoln's town — government employment, a low cost of living and a quiet central-Illinois pace. Flat, affordable, and short on big-city amenities.
Milwaukee is a Lake Michigan city with a serious brewing heritage, excellent festivals, Polish and German roots and very cheap housing. Winters are harsh, and the metro is among the most racially segregated in the country.
Madison
$1,565/mo two-bedroom
Madison is a lake-ringed capital and university city — progressive, highly educated, with a famous farmers' market and strong biotech employment. Expensive for Wisconsin, cold, and consistently ranked highly for quality of life.
Green Bay
$1,287/mo two-bedroom
Green Bay is a small city defined by the Packers, paper mills and a working port. Extremely affordable, cold and snowy, with a tight-knit community feel.
On rent, Wisconsin is cheaper: a typical two-bedroom is $1,251 a month against $1,724 (HUD FY2027). Everyday costs, housing excluded, index at 101.5 in Illinois and 97.5 in Wisconsin (U.S. = 100). Whether you come out ahead also depends on your pay and taxes in each state.
Which has lower taxes, Illinois or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. A married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.6% of it in state and local taxes, against 12.7% in Illinois (Locustep estimate). Top income-tax rates are 4.95% in Illinois and 7.65% in Wisconsin.
Is Illinois safer than Wisconsin?
By violent crime, Wisconsin is lower: 278.5 per 100,000 residents against 289.2 (FBI, 2024). On natural hazards, FEMA puts Illinois at the 30th percentile and Wisconsin at the 11th (lower is safer).
Which has better weather, Illinois or Wisconsin?
It depends what you want. Winter afternoons average 35°F in Chicago and 34°F in Milwaukee; summer afternoons 82°F and 80°F (NOAA 1991–2020). Illinois: four distinct seasons. Wisconsin: four distinct seasons.