Iowa and Wisconsin at a glance
Moving between Iowa and Wisconsin changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Iowa leaves $30,585 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Wisconsin leaves $28,910.
Iowa comes out ahead by $1,675 a year ($140 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 3,210,507 people in 99 counties in Iowa and 5,914,872 people in 72 counties in Wisconsin.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $2,240 in Iowa and $2,028 in Wisconsin, which leaves take-home pay of $48,099 and $48,311.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $75,141 in Iowa and $74,753 in Wisconsin, a difference of $388. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $902 a month in Iowa and $1,020 in Wisconsin, so Iowa is $118 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $1,811 and $2,209, and gasoline $1,445 and $1,518. Together the basics cost $17,513 a year in Iowa and $19,401 in Wisconsin.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $75,059 in Iowa and $77,485 in Wisconsin. Homeowners pay a median of $2,897 a year in property tax in Iowa and $3,792 in Wisconsin. Commuters travel 19.8 minutes each way on average in Iowa and 22.2 in Wisconsin.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.