Moving to Wisconsin from Idaho
What to Expect
Considering a move from Idaho to Wisconsin? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Idaho to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 2.0% cheaper than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $73,500 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Idaho Falls and Milwaukee are about 1,200 mi apart.
Is Wisconsin cheaper than Idaho?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.8% more
Groceries
pay 0.1% more
Transportation
pay 0.1% more
Housing
pay 9.2% less
Childcare
pay 27.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.7% 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 → $73,500
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 1% less than cities in Idaho.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wisconsin compared to Idaho.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than Wisconsin across all safety metrics.
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
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Wisconsin generally does better on what about housing?, though Idaho leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs better than Wisconsin across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Wisconsin generally does better on employment & economy, though Idaho leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Idaho generally does better on family life, though Wisconsin leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 Idaho
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Idaho Falls | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) | 35°/21°F (1°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) | 65°/47°F (18°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) | 76°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) | 46°/32°F (8°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Idaho Falls | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) | 29°/16°F (-1.7°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) | 33°/19°F (0.3°/-7.1°C) |
| Mar | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) | 42°/28°F (5.8°/-2.4°C) |
| Apr | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) | 54°/37°F (12.1°/2.9°C) |
| May | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) | 65°/47°F (18.3°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) | 75°/57°F (24.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jul | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) | 80°/64°F (26.7°/17.5°C) |
| Aug | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) | 78°/63°F (25.8°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) | 71°/55°F (21.8°/12.7°C) |
| Oct | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) | 59°/43°F (15.2°/6.2°C) |
| Nov | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) | 46°/32°F (7.8°/0.0°C) |
| Dec | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) | 33°/20°F (0.4°/-6.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Idaho?
Wisconsin and Idaho are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Budget about $18,375 for 3 months in Wisconsin (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Wisconsin safe?
Idaho performs better than Wisconsin across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Idaho?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Milwaukee is 55°F, compared to 59°F in Idaho Falls. Milwaukee receives around 34.8 in of rainfall per year, while Idaho Falls gets 14.3 in.
