Illinois vs Wisconsin

Enter your current annual income to compare its purchasing power between the two states.

A $100,000 income in Illinois is worth

$100,000

at national prices · RPP 100.0BEA RPP SARPP. Source: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 19, 2026 · Official API

In Wisconsin, the same income is worth

$106,270

at national prices · RPP 94.1BEA RPP SARPP. Source: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 19, 2026 · Official API

$100,000 has $6,270 more purchasing power in Wisconsin.

Decision shortcut

To match $100,000 in Illinois, you would need about $94,100in Wisconsin.

Enter a different offer to compare it with your current income after local prices.

Show the math
adjusted = income ÷ (RPP ÷ 100)
Illinois: $100,000 ÷ (100.0 ÷ 100) = $100,000
Wisconsin: $100,000 ÷ (94.1 ÷ 100) = $106,270
difference: $106,270 − $100,000 = +$6,270

Where the difference comes from

Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.

Regional price parity by component for the two states, with the percentage difference.
ComponentIllinoisWisconsinDifference
All items100.094.1−5.9%
Housing rents93.979.3−15.5%
Goods103.894.3−9.2%
Utilities85.089.9+5.8%
Other services100.299.5−0.7%

BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official API

Housing reality check

ACS median gross rent, home value, and real estate taxes paid — statewide context beyond the index.

IllinoisMedian rent$1,274/moMedian home$263,300Median property tax paid$5,298/yr
WisconsinMedian rent$1,087/moMedian home$266,500Median property tax paid$3,792/yr

US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API

Tax at a glance

Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20

Top marginal and average combined rates do not estimate a household's total tax liability.

Income and sales tax for the two states.
TaxIllinoisWisconsin
Income tax (top rate)4.95%7.65%
Sales tax (combined avg)8.96%5.72%

Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20

Official API Manually maintained2 of 3 metrics sourced from official APIs, 1 manually maintained. How every number is calculated →

Illinois vs Wisconsin: the read

The bottom line

Compare a $100,000 income in Illinois and Wisconsin: its purchasing power is $100,000 and $106,270, respectively, in national-average terms — a gain of $6,270. Wisconsin is the cheaper of the two, running at 94.1 on the price index versus 100.

Where the difference comes from

The widest gap is housing rents: Illinois sits at 93.9 and Wisconsin at 79.3 (100 = national). Wisconsin has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.

Housing

Median rent runs $1,274 in Illinois against $1,087 in Wisconsin, and the typical home $263,300 versus $266,500. Illinois is the more affordable place to buy.

Taxes

On tax, Illinois has 4.95% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 8.96%; Wisconsin has 7.65% top income tax and 5.72%. Those headline rates are useful screening facts, but they do not calculate either household's total liability.

Full profiles: Illinois ·Wisconsin. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.

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