Moving to Wisconsin from Maryland
What to Expect
Considering a move from Maryland to Wisconsin? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Maryland to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 19.2% cheaper than Maryland. A $75,000 salary in Maryland would need to be roughly $60,600 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Milwaukee averages 55°F vs 70°F in Baltimore, making it significantly cooler. Baltimore and Milwaukee are about 640 mi apart.
Is Wisconsin cheaper than Maryland?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 7.4% less
Groceries
pay 14.6% less
Transportation
pay 13.8% less
Housing
pay 27.9% less
Childcare
pay 24.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.6% 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 → $60,600
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 12% less than cities in Maryland.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wisconsin compared to Maryland.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Maryland 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
Maryland 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 performs significantly better than Maryland across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Maryland 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
Maryland 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
Maryland generally does better on family life, though Wisconsin leads in life expectancy.
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 Maryland
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Baltimore | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 35°/21°F (1°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 65°/47°F (18°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/71°F (31°/22°C) | 76°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/44°F (16°/7°C) | 46°/32°F (8°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Baltimore | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°/32°F (8.0°/-0.1°C) | 29°/16°F (-1.7°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 49°/34°F (9.5°/1.2°C) | 33°/19°F (0.3°/-7.1°C) |
| Mar | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.5°C) | 42°/28°F (5.8°/-2.4°C) |
| Apr | 69°/51°F (20.8°/10.4°C) | 54°/37°F (12.1°/2.9°C) |
| May | 79°/61°F (26.3°/16.1°C) | 65°/47°F (18.3°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 89°/71°F (31.6°/21.5°C) | 75°/57°F (24.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jul | 92°/75°F (33.4°/23.9°C) | 80°/64°F (26.7°/17.5°C) |
| Aug | 90°/73°F (32.2°/22.8°C) | 78°/63°F (25.8°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.5°C) | 71°/55°F (21.8°/12.7°C) |
| Oct | 71°/54°F (21.9°/12.3°C) | 59°/43°F (15.2°/6.2°C) |
| Nov | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.4°C) | 46°/32°F (7.8°/0.0°C) |
| Dec | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.6°C) | 33°/20°F (0.4°/-6.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Maryland?
On average Wisconsin is about 19% less expensive than Maryland, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Budget about $15,150 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 Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Maryland?
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Maryland?
The average high temperature in Milwaukee is 55°F, compared to 70°F in Baltimore. Milwaukee receives around 34.8 in of rainfall per year, while Baltimore gets 42.4 in.
