Moving to Wisconsin from Indiana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Indiana to Wisconsin? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Indiana to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 13.0% more expensive than Indiana. A $75,000 salary in Indiana would need to be roughly $78,224 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Indiana and Wisconsin.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,224
To maintain the same standard of living in Wisconsin
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 7.0% more
Groceries
pay 9.6% more
Transportation
pay 8.6% more
Housing
pay 3.3% less
Childcare
pay 46.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wisconsin compared to Indiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana 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
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Indiana performs better than Wisconsin across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana 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 Indiana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Indianapolis | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Indianapolis | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) |
| Mar | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) |
| Apr | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| May | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Jun | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) |
| Jul | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Aug | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) |
| Oct | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) |
| Dec | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Indiana?
On average Wisconsin is around 4% pricier than Indiana, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Budget about $19,556 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?
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Indiana?
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Indiana?
The average high temperature in Madison is 56°F, compared to 62°F in Indianapolis. Madison receives around 34.5 in of rainfall per year, while Indianapolis gets 40.8 in.
