Moving to Wisconsin from Connecticut
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Connecticut to Wisconsin — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Connecticut to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 27.4% cheaper than Connecticut. A $75,000 salary in Connecticut would need to be roughly $54,400 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Bridgeport and Milwaukee are about 760 mi apart.
Is Wisconsin cheaper than Connecticut?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 24.3% less
Groceries
pay 23.3% less
Transportation
pay 9.6% less
Housing
pay 42.5% less
Childcare
pay 22.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Wisconsin?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $54,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Wisconsin
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Wisconsin cost about 16% less than cities in Connecticut.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Connecticut to Wisconsin.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Connecticut generally does better on safety, though Wisconsin leads in property crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Connecticut generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Connecticut across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Connecticut generally does better on infrastructure, though Wisconsin leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Connecticut generally does better on employment & economy, though Wisconsin leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Connecticut performs better than Wisconsin across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Wisconsin vs Connecticut
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bridgeport | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/23°F (6°/-5°C) | 35°/21°F (1°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/49°F (20°/10°C) | 65°/47°F (18°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/62°F (26°/16°C) | 76°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/34°F (12°/1°C) | 46°/32°F (8°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bridgeport | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/20°F (3.1°/-6.9°C) | 29°/16°F (-1.7°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-6.0°C) | 33°/19°F (0.3°/-7.1°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.6°/-1.7°C) | 42°/28°F (5.8°/-2.4°C) |
| Apr | 59°/40°F (15.1°/4.2°C) | 54°/37°F (12.1°/2.9°C) |
| May | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) | 65°/47°F (18.3°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 78°/59°F (25.7°/15.1°C) | 75°/57°F (24.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jul | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.3°C) | 80°/64°F (26.7°/17.5°C) |
| Aug | 82°/64°F (27.6°/17.7°C) | 78°/63°F (25.8°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 75°/56°F (23.7°/13.1°C) | 71°/55°F (21.8°/12.7°C) |
| Oct | 63°/44°F (17.4°/6.5°C) | 59°/43°F (15.2°/6.2°C) |
| Nov | 54°/34°F (12.1°/1.3°C) | 46°/32°F (7.8°/0.0°C) |
| Dec | 43°/24°F (6.1°/-4.2°C) | 33°/20°F (0.4°/-6.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Connecticut?
Yes — Wisconsin is on average about 27% cheaper than Connecticut. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $13,600 in Wisconsin on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Wisconsin safe?
Connecticut generally does better on safety, though Wisconsin leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Connecticut?
Connecticut generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Connecticut?
The average high temperature in Milwaukee is 55°F, compared to 61°F in Bridgeport. Milwaukee receives around 34.8 in of rainfall per year, while Bridgeport gets 47.7 in.
