Waukesha, Wisconsin Cost Of Living

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C

Overall 3%

Goods & Services 7%

Housing 0%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; 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	Waukesha	Wisconsin	National
Cost of living	97	96	100
Goods & Services	93	99	100
Groceries	97	100	100
Health care	110	112	100
Housing	100	88	100
Transportation	95	99	100
Utilities	100	100	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Waukesha is 1% higher than the Wisconsin average
The cost of living in Waukesha is 3% lower than the national average
Waukesha housing is equal to the national average
Wisconsin general sales tax is 2% lower than the national average
Wisconsin state income tax is 62% 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	$81,751	$6,813	$1,907	$2,453
Renters	$35,319	$2,943	$824	$1,060

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Waukesha, WI, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Waukesha, homeowners have a median income of $81,751. Using that number, a maximum of $1,907 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $35,319, which means there is a maximum of $824 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

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	4%	7.65%

Goods & Services

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$23.86	$20.27	17.7%
Beauty Salon	$43.40	$40.39	7.4%
Toothpaste	$2.06	$2.36	12.8%
Shampoo	$1.00	$1.08	7.4%
Movie	$11.20	$10.99	2.0%
Bowling	$18.08	$15.49	16.7%

Groceries

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.28	$4.30	0.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.32	$1.40	5.9%
Milk	$2.32	$2.20	5.2%
Potatoes	$2.59	$3.22	19.5%
Pizza	$11.29	$10.74	5.1%
Beer	$8.08	$9.60	15.8%

Health Care

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$66.80	$109.73	39.1%
Doctor	$182.44	$118.34	54.2%
Dentist	$102.53	$100.94	1.6%
Ibuprofen	$9.91	$9.93	0.2%
Lipitor	$482.04	$469.53	2.7%

Housing

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$192,400.00	$184,700.00	4.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,219.99	$1,229.62	0.8%
Apartment Rent	$860.00	$949.00	9.4%

Transportation

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.59	$2.71	4.6%
Tire Balancing	$48.43	$51.86	6.6%

Utilities

Item	Waukesha	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$174.49	$170.84	2.1%
Phone	$182.09	$187.18	2.7%

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.
West Milwaukee, WI	4,214	90	10.4%
West Allis, WI	60,543	90	9.7%
Brown Deer, WI	12,075	92	7.9%
Lannon, WI	1,053	92	7.6%
Butler, WI	1,816	93	7.4%
Waukesha, WI	72,016	97	3.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Canton, OH	72,163	83	17.3%
Missouri City, TX	71,732	102	2.0%
Iowa City, IA	72,385	100	0.3%
Waldorf, MD	72,413	119	18.7%
Layton, UT	72,413	101	1.5%
Waukesha, WI	72,016	97	3.0%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.