?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Milwaukee, WI vs West Allis, WI

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Milwaukee needs about $80,500 in West Allis to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from West Allis, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Milwaukee.

A few differences

Milwaukee vs West Allis · facet by facet
FacetMilwaukee, WIWest Allis, WI
Median home price$210,000$203,800
2-bedroom rent$1,400/mo$1,109/mo
Property tax rate2.2%1.61%
State & local income tax3.17%3.17%
Sales tax5.9%5.7%
Cost of living index9183
Groceries index9796
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$52,000$67,611
Unemployment rate4%3%
Crime index56/10038/100
School rating5.0/106.7/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Milwaukee, WI · West Allis, WI
Questions & answers
Is Milwaukee cheaper than West Allis?
West Allis has the lower day-to-day cost index (83 vs 91 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in West Allis equals $85,000 in Milwaukee?
A household earning $85,000 in Milwaukee needs about $80,500 in West Allis to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of West Allis lifestyle costs about $89,500 in Milwaukee.