Moving to Wisconsin from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Wisconsin — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 17.0% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $81,883 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Madison averages 56°F vs 66°F in Topeka, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kansas to Wisconsin.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $81,883
To maintain the same standard of living in Wisconsin
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.2% more
Groceries
pay 5.0% more
Transportation
pay 14.3% more
Housing
pay 2.9% more
Childcare
pay 81.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.2% 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
How Kansas and Wisconsin stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Kansas 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
Kansas 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
Kansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Wisconsin leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas 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 Kansas leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Kansas generally does better on family life, though Wisconsin leads in life expectancy.
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 | Topeka | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Kansas?
Day-to-day costs in Wisconsin run about 9% higher than Kansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,471 in Wisconsin for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Wisconsin safe?
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Madison is 56°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Madison receives around 34.5 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
