State comparison
Minnesota vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Wisconsin costs a median household about $800 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because its income tax takes 4.5% of a median income against 6.2% in Minnesota.
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 6 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Minnesota vs Wisconsin
Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 a year. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Wisconsin wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.02% of home value a year in Minnesota and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,417 against $4,304, so Minnesota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.42% in Minnesota and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,666 a year in Minnesota, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Minnesota's cost of living index is 95 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in Minnesota and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $50K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Minnesota and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Minnesota and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 286 incidents per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Minnesota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 3% lower. Property crime is 2,094 per 100,000 in Minnesota against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.4 years in Minnesota and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Minnesota's health system 2nd of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Minnesota scores better on care.
4.5% of Minnesota residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Minnesota. Minnesota expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota's K-12 schools 8th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 3 places apart in Minnesota's favor. Wisconsin runs a school-choice voucher program; Minnesota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points and Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so Minnesota regulates guns more tightly and Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Minnesota and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is legal for adults in Minnesota and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.85 an hour in Minnesota and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Minnesota and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Minnesota
10
Wisconsin
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Minnesota or Wisconsin better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Wisconsin on taxes ($8,868 a year for a median household against $9,666); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 95); Minnesota on safety (286 violent crimes per 100,000 against 295); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 11th).
Which is cheaper, Minnesota or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 95. The median home is $335K in Minnesota and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Wisconsin saves a median household about $800 a year.
Does Minnesota or Wisconsin have lower taxes?
Wisconsin. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,666 a year in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 in sales tax) and $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Minnesota or Wisconsin?
Minnesota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 286 per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,094 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, Minnesota or Wisconsin?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota 8th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Minnesota or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Wisconsin is friendlier to retirees on paper. Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Wisconsin does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,417 a year in Minnesota and $4,304 in Wisconsin.