Compare / Chattanooga to Milwaukee
Chattanooga, TN vs Milwaukee, WI
Simple answer
You'd likely save $77 a month in Milwaukee.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 20.6 points (Chattanooga 76.5, Milwaukee 97.1).
Tennessee has no tax on wages. Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. Combined sales tax differs by 3.9 percentage points, higher in Tennessee. The effective property tax gap is 0.80 percentage points, higher in Wisconsin.
After a move from Tennessee to Wisconsin, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Chattanooga lines up with about $79,488 in Milwaukee on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN-GA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,340
- HUD area
- Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,265
- All-items price parity
- 91.5
- Goods price parity
- 96.0
- Utilities price parity
- 74.2
- Mean commute
- 24.5 min
- Median household income
- $75,076
Milwaukee
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,263
- HUD area
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,177
- All-items price parity
- 96.9
- Goods price parity
- 93.8
- Utilities price parity
- 91.6
- Mean commute
- 23.2 min
- Median household income
- $77,919
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$79,488
Salary in Milwaukee that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$84,654
Gross salary in Milwaukee whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$70,690
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Tennessee | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | up to 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.6% | 5.7% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.45% | 1.25% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,790 a year in Tennessee and $4,995 in Wisconsin. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Wisconsin
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Tennessee and once in Wisconsin. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
WIC
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
School meals
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
LIHEAP
ChattanoogaMaybe
MilwaukeeMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
ChattanoogaLikely eligible
MilwaukeeLikely eligible
SSI
ChattanoogaUnlikely
MilwaukeeUnlikely
| Program | Chattanooga | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Chattanooga
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Chattanooga.
- Chattanooga and San Francisco · rent gap $2,357
- Chattanooga and San Jose · rent gap $1,932
- Chattanooga and Boston · rent gap $1,668
- Chattanooga and New York · rent gap $1,631
- Chattanooga and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,624
- Chattanooga and San Diego · rent gap $1,483
- Chattanooga and Miami · rent gap $1,224
- Chattanooga and Seattle · rent gap $1,209
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.