About 3,235 people moved from the Chicago area to the Milwaukee area in 2022–23, per IRS data. The Chicago median home ($490,859) is above Milwaukee's ($266,179), and 33 of 35 well-sampled Milwaukee neighborhoods sell at or under it. State income tax goes from 4.95% to 3.54%–7.65%.
Data verified October 11, 2026. Reviewed by Chris Harris, REALTOR® (Real Broker, LLC). Chris connects movers with licensed agents in their destination market.
Chicago to Milwaukee is a 90-mile move up I-94 with a meaningful financial difference. Milwaukee home prices are well below Chicago's, while Wisconsin's graduated income tax (up to 7.65%) is higher at the top than Illinois's 4.95% flat rate, so in this corridor the advantage is housing cost, not taxes. Milwaukee has a distinct identity: a working waterfront on Lake Michigan, a strong craft brewing culture, and a tighter-knit urban feel than Chicago. It's grown as a destination for Chicago remote workers and retirees seeking affordability.
How many people move from Chicago to Milwaukee?
IRS address changes on tax returns show about 3,235 people in 2,294 households moved from the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area to the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area between the 2022 and 2023 filing years. About 2,449 moved in the opposite direction, so the Milwaukee side gained roughly 445 households on net. Of the 83,368 households that left the Chicago metro for another U.S. metro, Milwaukee ranked number 5.
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, U.S. Population Migration Data, 2022–2023, county-to-county outflows summed to metro areas. The IRS suppresses county pairs with fewer than 20 returns, so these totals are a floor.
What a Chicago budget buys in Milwaukee
A typical Chicago home sells for $490,859; the Milwaukee median is $266,179. Selling at one median and buying at the other leaves about $224,680 before closing and moving costs. Spend the full $490,859 instead and 33 of the 35 Milwaukee neighborhoods we track with at least 5 recent sales have a median at or below it. The closest to that budget: Fernwood ($449,844), Tosa East Towne ($445,000), Bay View ($373,870), Enderis Park ($338,882). At 10% down and 7%, a $266,179 Milwaukee home runs about $2,326 a month with taxes and insurance, against about $4,064 for a $490,859 Chicago home.
Neighborhoods closest to the Milwaukee median:
| Neighborhood | Median sale price | Homes sold (3 mo.) |
|---|---|---|
| Morgandale | $272,405 | 25 |
| Wood Dale | $256,411 | 31 |
| Kops Park | $276,800 | 27 |
For the lowest entry price, the most affordable well-sampled Milwaukee neighborhoods are Franklin Heights ($111,211), Old North Milwaukee ($134,750), Sherman Park ($135,000).
Prices: Chicago Redfin, Jan–Jun 2026; Milwaukee Redfin, Jan–Jun 2026. Neighborhood medians and sale counts: Redfin rolling three-month windows, Jan–Jun 2026; neighborhoods with fewer than 5 sales are left out.
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Destination: Milwaukee, WI · Moving from Chicago
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Income and property taxes: Illinois vs Wisconsin
| Chicago, IL | Milwaukee, WI | |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 4.95% (flat rate) | 3.54%–7.65% (graduated) |
| Effective property tax | 1.53% | 2.08% |
| Property tax on the median home, per year | $7,510 | $5,537 |
On each city’s median home, property tax works out to about $7,510 a year in Chicago and $5,537 in Milwaukee. Milwaukee’s rate is higher, so the tax bill shrinks less than the price does.
Income tax: Tax Foundation 2024 state rates. Property tax: Census American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates, median taxes paid divided by median home value, city level.
Milwaukee neighborhoods to start with
Matched to Chicago: the lifestyle tags most common among Chicago neighborhoods in our data are mixed, urban, walkable. The Milwaukee neighborhoods that share them most are Uptown ($167,500), Timmerman West ($228,421), Six Points ($229,920).
| Neighborhood | Median | Sales (3 mo.) | School rating | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Heights | $111,211 | 21 | – | trendy, walkable |
| Silver Spring | $144,900 | 52 | 6/10 | family, quiet |
| Hampton Heights | $173,939 | 31 | – | trendy, walkable |
| Six Points | $229,920 | 24 | – | urban, mixed |
| Morgandale | $272,405 | 25 | – | walkable, mixed |
| Town of Lake | $318,889 | 21 | – | waterfront, suburban |
| Enderis Park | $338,882 | 29 | – | family, suburban |
| Village of Shorewood | $591,794 | 45 | 10/10 | waterfront, gated |
Milwaukee’s citywide crime grade is F (FBI UCR 2025); the FBI does not publish it by neighborhood. School ratings appear only where one is on file. See every Milwaukee neighborhood on the Milwaukee neighborhoods page.
Frequently asked questions
Get matched with an agent in Milwaukee
Tell us who you are and Chris Harris will connect you with a licensed local agent who knows the neighborhoods above. Free, no obligation.
Destination: Milwaukee, WI · Moving from Chicago
Want ranked neighborhoods first? Take the 2-minute neighborhood quiz.
Sources. Migration: IRS SOI U.S. Population Migration Data 2022–2023. Home prices: Redfin, Jan–Jun 2026 (Chicago), Redfin, Jan–Jun 2026 (Milwaukee). Neighborhoods: Redfin Jan–Jun 2026. Property tax: Census ACS 2023. Income tax: Tax Foundation 2024. Crime: FBI UCR 2025. Verified October 11, 2026. More corridors in the relocation guides.