State comparison
Tennessee vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $5,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because it has no income tax.
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 6 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Tennessee vs Wisconsin
Tennessee has no state income tax. 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. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.45% of home value a year in Tennessee and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,575 against $4,304, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55% in Tennessee 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: $3,712 a year in Tennessee, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Tennessee's cost of living index is 92 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Tennessee and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Tennessee and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $2,000 a year in Tennessee and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 668 incidents per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 126% lower. Property crime is 2,752 per 100,000 in Tennessee against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.2 years in Tennessee and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.9-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Tennessee's health system 39th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
10.4% of Tennessee residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee's K-12 schools 41st in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 30 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points and Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
Tennessee has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is illegal in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Tennessee and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Tennessee and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
Tennessee
9
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Tennessee or Wisconsin better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $8,868); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 93); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Tennessee or Wisconsin?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 93. The median home is $350K in Tennessee and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $5,200 a year.
Does Tennessee or Wisconsin have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,712 a year in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 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, Tennessee or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 668 per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,752 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, Tennessee or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee 41st of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th.
Is Tennessee or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wisconsin does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,575 a year in Tennessee and $4,304 in Wisconsin.