Moving to Wisconsin from Mississippi
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Mississippi to Wisconsin — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Mississippi to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 5.9% more expensive than Mississippi. A $75,000 salary in Mississippi would need to be roughly $79,500 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Madison averages 56°F vs 76°F in Jackson, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Mississippi to Wisconsin.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Wisconsin
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.1% more
Groceries
pay 3.7% more
Transportation
pay 10.5% less
Housing
pay 11.8% more
Childcare
pay 59.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.1% 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.
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 4% more than cities in Mississippi.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Mississippi to Wisconsin.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Mississippi 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
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 performs significantly better than Mississippi across all employment & economy metrics.
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 Mississippi 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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jackson | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jackson | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) |
| Feb | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) |
| Mar | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) |
| Apr | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| May | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Jun | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) |
| Jul | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Aug | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) |
| Sep | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) |
| Oct | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) |
| Dec | 58°/39°F (14.7°/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 Mississippi?
No — Wisconsin is on average about 6% more expensive than Mississippi. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,875 in Wisconsin on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Wisconsin safe?
Mississippi generally does better on safety, though Wisconsin leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Mississippi?
Wisconsin performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Mississippi?
The average high temperature in Madison is 56°F, compared to 76°F in Jackson. Madison receives around 34.5 in of rainfall per year, while Jackson gets 54.3 in.
