Moving to Wisconsin from Utah
What to Expect
Considering a move from Utah to Wisconsin? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Utah to Wisconsin, you would find that Wisconsin is 5.8% cheaper than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $70,700 in Wisconsin to maintain the same lifestyle. Salt Lake City and Milwaukee are about 1,250 mi apart.
Is Wisconsin cheaper than Utah?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 0.8% more
Groceries
pay 1.2% more
Transportation
pay 18.7% less
Housing
pay 10.3% less
Childcare
pay 31.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.1% 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.
What salary do you need in Wisconsin?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,700
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%).
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wisconsin compared to Utah.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah 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
Utah 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 Utah leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
Utah 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
Utah 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 Utah
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 35°/21°F (1°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 65°/47°F (18°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 76°/61°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 46°/32°F (8°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 29°/16°F (-1.7°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 33°/19°F (0.3°/-7.1°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 42°/28°F (5.8°/-2.4°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 54°/37°F (12.1°/2.9°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 65°/47°F (18.3°/8.1°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 75°/57°F (24.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 80°/64°F (26.7°/17.5°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 78°/63°F (25.8°/17.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 71°/55°F (21.8°/12.7°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 59°/43°F (15.2°/6.2°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 46°/32°F (7.8°/0.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 33°/20°F (0.4°/-6.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than Utah?
On average Wisconsin is about 6% less expensive than Utah, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Wisconsin?
Budget about $17,675 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?
Utah generally does better on safety, though Wisconsin leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Wisconsin compared to Utah?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wisconsin leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Wisconsin compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Milwaukee is 55°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Milwaukee receives around 34.8 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
