Milwaukee County · Wisconsin · Midwest · 20k residents
South Milwaukee, WI: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for South Milwaukee: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Wisconsin median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in South Milwaukee is $235,700, 7% below the Wisconsin median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,096/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 85 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $73,427 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in South Milwaukee is $235,700, 7.4% below the median for ACS-covered places in Wisconsin.
- Household income: Median household income is $73,427, 6.7% below the median for ACS-covered places in Wisconsin.
- Adult education: 29.9% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 15.8% below the median for ACS-covered places in Wisconsin.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 3.2 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places South Milwaukee about 8 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 190 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 22 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare South Milwaukee side by side
Cost of living index
85
ACS median home value
$235,700
2-bedroom rent
$1,096/mo
Median household income
$73,427
Housing momentum
How fast South Milwaukee's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
66/100
Steady
Ranks South Milwaukee's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by South Milwaukee's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $235,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $180 |
| Property tax rate | 1.61% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $930/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,096/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.17% |
| Sales tax | 5.7% |
| Cost of living index | 85 |
| Groceries index | 96 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $58/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $73,427 |
| Unemployment rate | 3% |
| Population | 20k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 6.7/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 98/100 |
| Avg. commute | 22 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 80°F |
| January low | 16°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +3.4% |
| Home price MoM | -0.6% |
| Rent YoY | +4.7% |
| Rent MoM | -0.1% |
| Ocean coast | 728 mi |
| Big lake | 8 mi |
| Mountains | 399 mi |
| Major airport | 3 mi |
| Ski resort | 145 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Oak Creek, WI · 37k
- Cudahy, WI · 18k
- Caledonia, WI · 25k
- Franklin, WI · 36k
- Greenfield, WI · 37k
Similar size
- Germantown, WI · 21k
- Howard, WI · 21k
- Onalaska, WI · 19k
- Pleasant Prairie, WI · 22k
- Fox Crossing, WI · 19k
Real listings in South Milwaukee
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in South Milwaukee, WI?
- South Milwaukee indexes at 85 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,096/mo and a acs median home value of $235,700.
- How much does a house cost in South Milwaukee?
- The acs median home value in South Milwaukee is $235,700, 7% below the Wisconsin median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in South Milwaukee?
- A two-bedroom in South Milwaukee rents for about $1,096/mo.