Cost Of Living in Merrill, WI

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21%

Overall NAT. AVG.

17%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

47%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Merrill	Wisconsin	National
Cost of living	79	96	100
Goods & Services	83	97	100
Groceries	96	99	100
Health care	125	112	100
Housing	53	88	100
Transportation	89	98	100
Utilities	95	102	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Merrill is 18% lower than the Wisconsin average
The cost of living in Merrill is 21% lower than the national average
Merrill housing is 47% lower than the national average
Wisconsin general sales tax is 2% lower than the national average
Wisconsin state income tax is 36% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$70,130	$5,844	$1,636	$2,104
Renters	$23,929	$1,994	$558	$718

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Merrill, WI, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Merrill have a median income of $70,130. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,636 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $23,929, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $558.

Wisconsin Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Wisconsin	5%	6.75%

Wisconsin Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Wisconsin	3.54%	7.65%

Goods & Services

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$28.71	$24.26	18.3%
Beauty Salon	$44.93	$45.56	1.4%
Toothpaste	$3.62	$3.70	2.3%
Shampoo	$1.18	$1.28	7.6%
Movie	$14.28	$12.13	17.7%
Bowling	$16.88	$18.00	6.2%

Groceries

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.41	$5.84	7.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.47	$1.57	6.5%
Milk	$4.78	$4.67	2.3%
Potatoes	$4.45	$4.93	9.9%
Pizza	$12.91	$12.09	6.8%
Beer	$8.70	$10.41	16.5%

Health Care

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$89.62	$125.68	28.7%
Doctor	$202.67	$135.78	49.3%
Dentist	$110.30	$113.29	2.6%
Ibuprofen	$10.89	$10.65	2.2%
Lipitor	$447.61	$468.60	4.5%

Housing

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$86,100.00	$184,700.00	53.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,296.35	$2,346.69	2.1%
Apartment Rent	$629.00	$949.00	33.7%

Transportation

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.25	$3.46	6.1%
Tire Balancing	$66.53	$59.92	11.0%

Utilities

Item	Merrill	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$214.46	$193.99	10.5%
Phone	$184.65	$192.25	4.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Brokaw, WI	237	89	11.0%
Maine, WI	2,577	94	6.3%
Merrill, WI	9,081	79	21.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Boulder Hill, IL	9,081	106	5.5%
Innsbrook, VA	9,081	123	23.3%
San Elizario, TX	9,079	83	17.1%
Saint-Rémi, QC	9,079	n/a
Rochelle, IL	9,083	86	13.6%
Merrill, WI	9,081	79	21.0%