Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Milwaukee

You think about moving to Milwaukee but want to get additional information on the city, the housing market, job prospects, overall quality of life and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Milwaukee in the following chapters.

Living in Milwaukee – Overview

Advantages of Living in Milwaukee

1. Unemployment rate in Milwaukee is pretty low
2. Easy to find decent jobs for the average person
3. Many big corporations to work for in Milwaukee
4. Relatively easy to build a strong business network
5. Property prices in Milwaukee are fairly low
6. Rents are affordable as well
7. Average person can still afford to buy a decent home in Milwaukee
8. Demand for housing is lower compared to many other major cities
9. You will find a decent place to live relatively soon
10. Competition in the housing market is rather low
11. You don’t have to worry about losing your home as much as in other regions
12. Milwaukee can be an interesting place for property investors
13. Milwaukee may still be underrated
14. People in Milwaukee are friendly
15. Milwaukee is a pretty tolerant place
16. Easy to socialize in Milwaukee
17. You can have interesting conversations with people in Milwaukee
18. Milwaukee has decent public transport
19. Milwaukee is a bike-friendly city
20. You don’t necessarily need a car to get around in Milwaukee
21. Milwaukee is not the most crowded city
22. You will not get stuck in traffic jams often
23. Easy to meet friends in other parts of the city
24. You don’t have to spend lots of time finding a parking lot
25. Living costs in Milwaukee are fairly low
26. Average person can still live the American dream
27. Many nature activities to choose from in Milwaukee
28. Real seasons make living in Milwaukee interesting
29. You can go skiing in winter
30. People are genuine and real
31. You can find really good friends in Milwaukee
32. Financial pressure is relatively low in Milwaukee
33. People can save and invest enough for retirement
34. People in Milwaukee are rather relaxed
35. Good doctors and hospitals in Milwaukee
36. Many nice museums in Milwaukee
37. Milwaukee has an interesting art scene
38. Many different foods to try in Milwaukee
39. Most people never get bored in Milwaukee
40. Milwaukee offers many recreational spaces
41. Milwaukee is not a hectic city
42. You find interesting architecture in Milwaukee
43. Milwaukee offers the comfort of a big city
44. You will find most things within walking distance in Milwaukee
45. Milwaukee has good tap water
46. Milwaukee has decent air quality
47. Milwaukee has an international airport
48. Milwaukee is a great place to live for every age group
49. You may never have to move again
50. Milwaukee becomes increasingly attractive to people from all over the US
51. Milwaukee is the biggest city in Wisconsin
52. Decent future outlook for Milwaukee

Unemployment rate in Milwaukee is pretty low

One advantage of moving to Milwaukee is that unemployment rate is pretty low in this region and you will therefore not have to worry about losing your job as much as people living in Detroit or other regions where unemployment is a much bigger problem.

Easy to find decent jobs for the average person

Since unemployment rate is pretty low, people in Milwaukee also often find pretty decent jobs within a relatively short period of time writing ungodly numbers of job applications as people living in other cities where the job market is much worse.

Many big corporations to work for in Milwaukee

Milwaukee is also an important place from an economic standpoint.

In fact, it is the biggest city in Wisconsin and many big corporations are located in this region.

In turn, this means that you can work for big companies in many different fields as long as you have skills needed in the job market right now and are also able to provide lots of value to the corporate world.

Relatively easy to build a strong business network

Since there are many big corporations and the job market is strong, it is also relatively easy to build a strong business network and to meet many influential people which makes it much easier to climb the corporate ladder quickly.

Property prices in Milwaukee are fairly low

Another upside to moving to Milwaukee is that property prices are still pretty low compared to many other regions and this gives you the opportunity to buy a property at a rather low price and your mortgage payments will be much lower compared to people moving to San Francisco who often have to spend lots of money buying a home and often really struggle to pay back mortgages.

Rents are affordable as well

Not only property prices are fairly low, but also rents are pretty low in Milwaukee compared to many other major cities and this gives you the opportunity to rent an apartment or a home for a reasonable amount of money so that you will have enough money left to spend on other important things for daily life.

Average person can still afford to buy a decent home in Milwaukee

While people living in New York City or other expensive regions where property prices are high have to make really good money and only very few people can still afford to buy a property, this is not true for Milwaukee since thanks to low property prices, the average person can still afford to buy a decent home without having to make huge financial commitments.

Demand for housing is lower compared to many other major cities

Also overall demand for housing in Milwaukee is lower compared to many other big cities in the US and this means that you will have many good housing options available to you and will not struggle to find a decent place to stay as would be the case in many other more popular cities.

You will find a decent place to live relatively soon

Due to the rather low demand for housing in the Milwaukee area, you also don’t have to search for a long time before you find a suitable place to stay and while people moving to San José or other popular places often have to search for months, you will find decent housing opportunities in Milwaukee within weeks or even days.

Competition in the housing market is rather low

You should also know that overall competition in the housing market in Milwaukee is rather low and you will therefore be able to rent a decent place even if you don’t have an excellent financial background while this would be much harder in more popular regions where landlords have a much better selection of good prospective tenants.

You don’t have to worry about losing your home as much as in other regions

Since demand for housing in the Milwaukee region is rather low, you will also not have to worry about getting evicted from your property as much as in other regions since landlords will be more eager to compromise with you in case of problems with rent payments since they will not have many other good tenants standing in line and may rather want to keep you as a tenant.

Milwaukee can be an interesting place for property investors

Due to rather low property prices and decent rental yields, Milwaukee can also be an interesting place for real estate investors since you can build a solid cash flow rather quickly and can also expect decent returns on your investment that are much higher compared to more popular cities where rental yields are often much lower.

Milwaukee may still be underrated

While there are many good reasons for moving to Milwaukee, many people in the US haven’t noticed this yet and you may therefore be able to make a real bargain in the Milwaukee housing market now and once the region becomes more popular, prices and rents may skyrocket and you as the early bird can really benefit from this development.

People in Milwaukee are friendly

Another benefit of moving to Milwaukee is that people in the Milwaukee region are pretty friendly and helpful and often take the time to help you out on various occasions of daily life so that you feel welcome and don’t have to be afraid to ask strangers in public in this regard.

Milwaukee is a pretty tolerant place

You should also know that Milwaukee is a pretty tolerant city and it therefore attracts people with many different nationalities.

In turn, you will also be welcome no matter where you come from as long as you are tolerant and friendly and also willing to adapt to local traditions a little bit.

Easy to socialize in Milwaukee

Since people in Milwaukee are friendly and outgoing, it is also pretty easy to socialize in this city and you will also find many locations where you can hang out and get in touch with other people so that you can build a strong social circle pretty quickly after moving to Milwaukee.

You can have interesting conversations with people in Milwaukee

Since Milwaukee is a culturally diverse place, you can also meet people from many different countries and by listening to their stories, you can really grow in character and get a different perspective on life in general so that you can become more open and tolerant in the long run.

Milwaukee has decent public transport

Another benefit of living in Milwaukee is that the city offers pretty good public transport and it is easy to get around by bus in an efficient manner.

Milwaukee is a bike-friendly city

Milwaukee is also a bike-friendly city and instead of using your car for short distances, you can rather get around by bike and save lots of money on gas and also do good for our environment at the same time.

You don’t necessarily need a car to get around in Milwaukee

In general, since public transport is pretty decent and Milwaukee is a bike-friendly city, you may not even need a car at all, especially if you want to move close to the city center where distances are rather short.

Milwaukee is not the most crowded city

While Milwaukee is a big city, it is not as crowded as other major cities and this gives you the opportunity to hang out in public on your own without having to worry about running into other people on a regular basis and this can be great during times when you want to be alone and think about complex problems that need to be solved.

You will not get stuck in traffic jams often

Since Milwaukee is not the most crowded city, you will also not have to deal with traffic jams as much as people living in busier cities and you can therefore use your time in a much more efficient manner.

Easy to meet friends in other parts of the city

Since you don’t get stuck in traffic jams often, you will also have an easy time meeting up with your favorite people in other parts of the town since you can get there in a rather efficient manner and don’t have to spend lots of time in traffic.

You don’t have to spend lots of time finding a parking lot

Since traffic is not a big problem yet, you will also have a rather relaxed time finding a parking lot in Milwaukee while people living in San Diego or other more crowded places often struggle in this regard.

Living costs in Milwaukee are fairly low

Not only housing costs are fairly low, but also overall living costs are lower in Milwaukee compared to other major cities and this means that you don’t have to make really good money to be able to afford a decent lifestyle in this region.

Average person can still live the American dream

Another upside to living in Milwaukee is that the average person can still live the American dream in this region, including buying a home, a nice car and so on since many of those nice things are often far cheaper in Milwaukee compared to other major cities where people often struggle living the American dream and become increasingly frustrated in the long run.

Many nature activities to choose from in Milwaukee

Since Milwaukee is located at Lake Michigan, you can go fishing, hiking, camping, swimming and do many other things in nature which gives you the opportunity to relax and unplug from your stressful life to reload your batteries for the challenging times yet to come.

Real seasons make living in Milwaukee interesting

Since you will have warm summers and relatively cold winters, you can experience real seasons in Milwaukee and this can make your life much more interesting compared to people living in Austin or other more tropical regions where temperatures rarely fall below the freezing mark.

You can go skiing in winter

Since it often snows in Milwaukee in winter, you can go skiing or do other winter sports on a regular basis and if you love the snow, moving to Milwaukee from other warmer regions can definitely make quite a lot of sense.

People are genuine and real

You should also know that people in Milwaukee are genuine and more real compared to other major cities where people often just brag about money and live a fake life.

Consequently, you can hang out with more people whom you can really rely on in Milwaukee.

You can find really good friends in Milwaukee

Since people in Milwaukee are honest and reliable, you will also be able to make many really good friends in the long run and chances are that you will never feel lonely or get socially isolated once you move to this place.

Financial pressure is relatively low in Milwaukee

Since housing is still affordable, people in Milwaukee also don’t have to spend lots of money in this regard and while people in many other regions really struggle to pay rent or mortgage rates, you will have a rather relaxed time in Milwaukee and your overall financial pressure will be much lower due to that.

People can save and invest enough for retirement

Since housing and living costs in Milwaukee are relatively low, many people are able to save and invest lots of money for retirement and may not suffer from old-age poverty as much as in other regions where living costs would be much higher and people would not be able to save a significant fraction of their income for retirement.

People in Milwaukee are rather relaxed

Due to relatively low financial pressure, people in Milwaukee are also pretty relaxed and not as career-focused as people living in more expensive regions who often have to work long hours to be able to make a living.

Good doctors and hospitals in Milwaukee

Another advantage of living in Milwaukee is that you will have good medical infrastructure and in case you get sick, there will be more than enough doctors who will try to cure your diseases in an efficient manner so that you don’t have to worry about getting decent medical treatment.

Many nice museums in Milwaukee

Milwaukee is also well-known for its nice museums and if you are interested in this field, you will find more than enough exhibitions and galleries.

Milwaukee has an interesting art scene

In general, Milwaukee also has a pretty interesting art scene and you can therefore meet many like-minded people from all over the world and also become a much better artist in the long run.

Many different foods to try in Milwaukee

Since Milwaukee is a multicultural city, you can also try many different foods from all parts of the world.

Not only will you be impressed by how good those foods can taste, but you will also get lots of inspiration when it comes to cooking at home so that you can improve your own culinary knowledge in the long run.

Most people never get bored in Milwaukee

Since you can do so many things in nature while you can also just find many other things you are used to from most big cities, chances are that you will also never get bored in Milwaukee and can just spend your leisure with the things and activities that are most interesting to you.

Milwaukee offers many recreational spaces

You will also find many recreational spaces both within and outside city borders and you will therefore have more than enough options where you can relax and reload your batteries.

Milwaukee is not a hectic city

Compared to other busier cities, Milwaukee is also a rather relaxed place and the city is just not as hectic as NYC or other big metropolitan areas which makes it easier for you to relax and to live a happy life.

You find interesting architecture in Milwaukee

There are also many interesting buildings and churches in Milwaukee and you can therefore also really enjoy your time in Milwaukee in case you are interested in architecture or even want to make a living with architecture in the long run.

Milwaukee offers the comfort of a big city

Since Milwaukee is a big city and offers decent public infrastructure, you can also live your life in Milwaukee in a pretty convenient manner and will find everything you need in this city without having to drive to other cities as would often be the case if you moved to smaller towns.

You will find most things within walking distance in Milwaukee

You will also find most things of daily life within walking distance and this allows you to live your life in Milwaukee in a pretty efficient manner since you can get everything you need pretty soon.

Milwaukee has good tap water

You should also know that Milwaukee has excellent tap water and you therefore don’t have to buy bottled water from the store and can save lots of time and money in this regard in the long run.

Milwaukee has decent air quality

Compared to other major cities, Milwaukee also has pretty decent air quality and this can be great for you since it reduces the risk of suffering from serious pulmonary issues in the long run.

Milwaukee has an international airport

Moving to Milwaukee may also make sense in case you want to travel the world since you will have a big international airport in Milwaukee and can therefore get to other major cities all over the world in a pretty efficient manner.

Milwaukee is a great place to live for every age group

Since there are so many different activities to choose from, Milwaukee can also be a great place to live for every age group and people from different generations support each other.

You may never have to move again

If you move to Milwaukee at a rather young age, you may also never have to move ever again since you might find everything you wished for in this city and may want to stay in this region until the end of your life.

Milwaukee becomes increasingly attractive to people from all over the US

While Milwaukee is still a rather secret tip, it has still become increasingly popular by people from all over the US.

In fact, many people living in more expensive regions right now consider moving to Milwaukee to benefit from relatively low property prices.

Milwaukee is the biggest city in Wisconsin

You should also keep in mind that Milwaukee is the biggest city in Wisconsin and the state will therefore do everything to make it a good place to work and live for many decades.

Decent future outlook for Milwaukee

In general, since there are so many benefits of spending your life in Milwaukee, the city will most likely also have a pretty decent future outlook and may have a bright future if people realize that they can live in this city in a decent manner at an affordable price.

As you can see, there are many reasons to move to Milwaukee.

However, there are also some drawbacks of living in Milwaukee that I want to address in the following so that you can better decide whether you still want to move to Milwaukee or rather want to live in a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Milwaukee

1. Hard to make good money in Milwaukee
2. Crime rate in Milwaukee is far above national average
3. Many people don’t feel safe in Milwaukee
4. Hard to find world-class education in Milwaukee
5. Not as many fancy shopping opportunities as in other major cities
6. You may miss the feeling of big city life
7. Nightlife in Milwaukee is not great
8. Many people in Milwaukee live below the poverty line
9. Increasing gap between the poor and the rich
10. Homelessness is a big problem in Milwaukee
11. Social cohesion is about to deteriorate
12. Milwaukee is not the most glamorous city
13. Hard to meet celebrities in Milwaukee
14. Cold winters may be annoying
15. You may not spend lots of time outdoors
16. Population in Milwaukee has been decreasing over the past decade
17. Milwaukee is not a great commuter city
18. It will take you a long time to get to other big cities
19. Milwaukee is not the most popular city among tourists
20. Your friends from other cities may not visit you often
21. Your loved ones may worry about your well-being
22. You may have to justify moving to Milwaukee
23. Not many great sports teams in Milwaukee
24. Milwaukee is a rather landlord-friendly place
25. Milwaukee is not close to the coast

Hard to make good money in Milwaukee

One downside to moving to Milwaukee is that it is really hard to make good money in this region since the average income is far lower compared to national average and if you want to get rich as quickly as possible, Milwaukee may not be the right place for you.

Crime rate in Milwaukee is far above national average

Another reason not to move to Milwaukee is that crime rates are far above national average and you may therefore get involved in serious incidents in this regard sooner or later.

Many people don’t feel safe in Milwaukee

Due to high crime rates, many people also don’t feel safe in Milwaukee anymore and also worry about their loved ones quite often.

Many people also don’t want to let their kids play outside anymore and this may lower overall quality of life quite a lot in the long run.

Hard to find world-class education in Milwaukee

Another disadvantage of moving to Milwaukee is that it will be hard to find world-class education in this city and if you really want to give your kids the chances of getting the best education possible, you should rather move to Boston in this regard.

Not as many fancy shopping opportunities as in other major cities

While you will find everything you need for daily life, you will still miss fancy shopping opportunities in Milwaukee and if you are a shopping victim, chances are that you will get bored with the stores in Milwaukee pretty soon.

You may miss the feeling of big city life

In general, Milwaukee is rather small compared to other metropolitan areas and if you want to get the feeling of big city life, you should rather move to Los Angeles instead of Milwaukee.

Nightlife in Milwaukee is not great

Another problem with moving to Milwaukee is that you will not have as many great bars and clubs as in other major cities and if you are a party person, you may have a hard time finding a decent number of places where you can party all night long.

Many people in Milwaukee live below the poverty line

You should also know that many people in Milwaukee have a hard time making good money from their jobs and many people also live below the poverty line which may further increase crime rates and contribute to social problems in the long run.

Increasing gap between the poor and the rich

Another downside to living in Milwaukee is that the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase and this will lead to all sorts of social problems and may greatly lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Homelessness is a big problem in Milwaukee

Due to an increasing level of inequality, many people are also no longer able to pay rent and may end up homeless in the streets, which would further contribute to an increasing level of inequality.

Social cohesion is about to deteriorate

Due to an increasing level of social inequality, people from different social classes may also no longer respect each other and social cohesion may also deteriorate in the long run.

Milwaukee is not the most glamorous city

Another disadvantage of living in Milwaukee is that it is not the most glamorous city and if you want to be at the heart of the universe and want to have action all day and night long, you may be better off moving to a bigger and more exciting city instead.

Hard to meet celebrities in Milwaukee

Since Milwaukee is not the most popular city, it is also hard to meet many celebrities in Milwaukee and if your goal is to meet many of your idols, you should rather hang out in bars in Holywood instead of moving to Milwaukee.

Cold winters may be annoying

While some people love the snow, others just don’t like cold weather at all and if you belong to the second group of people who want to have warm weather all year long, you would be far better off moving to Dallas or other warmer regions.

You may not spend lots of time outdoors

Due to cold winters, you may also not spend as much time outdoors as people living in warmer regions and this may greatly lower your overall quality of life in the long run.

Population in Milwaukee has been decreasing over the past decade

Another problem with living in Milwaukee is that population has been decreasing over the past decade and in case this trend continues, many people may leave the region and overall infrastructure may get worse in the future.

Milwaukee is not a great commuter city

Since Milwaukee is not closely located to other big cities, it is also not a great commuter city since it is just not worth it to live in Milwaukee and commute to Chicago or other cities since expenses on gas would eat up all your potential savings in this regard.

It will take you a long time to get to other big cities

Since other big cities are pretty far away, you may also have a hard time making nice day trips to those cities with your family and may get bored with just staying in your own city all year long.

Milwaukee is not the most popular city among tourists

You should also be aware of the fact that Milwaukee is not the most popular city among tourists and you may therefore have a harder time connecting to people from all over the world as would be the case if you moved to bigger and more popular regions.

Your friends from other cities may not visit you often

Since Milwaukee is not the most popular city, your friends from other states may also not visit you often and you may therefore feel lonely from time to time.

Your loved ones may worry about your well-being

Since crime rates in Milwaukee are pretty high, your friends may also worry about your well-being quite often and this means that you would also impose a certain emotional pressure on your loved ones by moving to Milwaukee.

You may have to justify moving to Milwaukee

Your friends may also not understand your decision of moving to Milwaukee and you may therefore have to justify quite a lot in this regard.

Not many great sports teams in Milwaukee

While Milwaukee has some decent sports teams, you will still not be able to watch many sports at a world-class level as you would be able to do in L.A. or other major regions.

Milwaukee is a rather landlord-friendly place

You should also know that Milwaukee is a landlord-friendly place and if you don’t want to buy a home and rather want to rent, you should also be aware of the fact that your landlord will be able to raise rents without having to worry about strict rent control.

Milwaukee is not close to the coast

Since Milwaukee is not located at the coast, you will also not be able to go surfing and this may really lower your overall quality of life in the long run.

Top 10 Moving To Milwaukee Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Milwaukee A Good Place To Live?

While property prices and rents in Milwaukee are fairly low and you will find everything you need to live a happy life, you should still know that crime rates are pretty high, average income levels are low and many people really struggle to make good money in this region.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Milwaukee anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Louisville

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Baltimore

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Portland

Sources

https://city.milwaukee.gov/home

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/milwaukeecitywisconsin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.