Wisconsin vs Texas
Your $100,000 in Wisconsin is worth
$106,270
at national prices · RPP 94.1BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Texas is worth
$102,987
at national prices · RPP 97.1BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes −$3,283 less far in Texas (−3.1% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Wisconsin | Texas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 94.1 | 97.1 | +3.2% |
| Housing rents | 79.3 | 96.5 | +21.7% |
| Goods | 94.3 | 98.1 | +4.0% |
| Utilities | 89.9 | 87.5 | −2.7% |
| Other services | 99.5 | 97.1 | −2.4% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
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
| Tax | Wisconsin | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 7.65% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 5.72% | 8.20% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Wisconsin vs Texas: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Wisconsin to Texas and its purchasing power changes from $106,270 to $102,987 in national-average terms — a loss of $3,283. Wisconsin is the cheaper of the two, running at 94.1 on the price index versus 97.1.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is housing rents: Wisconsin sits at 79.3 and Texas at 96.5 (100 = national). Wisconsin has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,087 in Wisconsin against $1,403 in Texas, and the typical home $266,500 versus $283,800. Wisconsin is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Wisconsin has 7.65% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 5.72%; Texas has no wage income tax and 8.20%. That income-tax difference can outweigh a chunk of the cost-of-living gap for higher earners.
Full profiles: Wisconsin ·Texas. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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