What is the cost of living in Green Bay?

Green Bay has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 74.7, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,164/month.

What is the median salary in Green Bay?

The median salary in Green Bay is $65,660 annually (mean: $68,732). Top occupations include Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Green Bay?

The violent crime rate in the Green Bay area is 280 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1157 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Green Bay?

The state of WI has 2,205 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.4:1. Charter schools make up 10.7% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Green Bay?

Infant center-based childcare in the Green Bay area averages $11,256 per year. Preschool averages $10,203/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Green Bay a good place to relocate?

Green Bay has a Life Score of 53/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Green Bay sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Green Bay ranks #72 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Green Bay, WI

LiveAbility 58.7/100 places Green Bay #72 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,164
2BR rent / mo: $65,660
Median salary: 58.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Green Bay ranks #72 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (58.7/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and housing.

#72
of 387 US metros · Above median: 5,960,975
metro-area population: 280
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,205
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (17/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Green Bay ranks #72 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,164/mo, median salary $65,660; LiveAbility Score 58.7/100, strongest in air quality and housing.

Signature: LiveAbility 58.7/100 places Green Bay #72 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.1 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,164/mo.

LiveAbility 58.7/100 puts Green Bay in the top third (#72 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Green Bay area is 166,980.

Green Bay vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

59 Top 20% higher than 80% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Green Bay housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Green Bay MSA; housing RPP 74.7 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,164/mo.

Studio

$867

/month

1 Bedroom

$931

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,164

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,545

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,618

/month

Green Bay wages and employment

Green Bay posts 166,980 total employment with median salary $65,660.

Median Salary

$65,660

Mean Salary

$68,732

Total Employment

166,980

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$59,810
Registered Nurses	$84,700
Retail Salespersons	$34,090
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,640
Customer Service Representatives	$46,880

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Green Bay area from NCES.

Schools

2,205

Enrollment

814,921

Student:Teacher

14.4:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Green Bay area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,256

per year

Toddler (Center)

$10,203

per year

Preschool (Center)

$10,203

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Green Bay's composite Life Score is 53/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

53/100

Average

Wages

56/100

Above average

Rent

71/100

Strong

Crime

62/100

Above average

Schools

47/100

Average

Childcare

42/100

Below average

Environment

24/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Green Bay ranks #72 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 58.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (81/100)

Air quality

81
Housing

71
Low hazard

68
Safety

62
Job market

56
Cost of living

53
Schools

53
Climate

17

What this shows Green Bay's strongest dimensions are air quality and housing; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 17/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Green Bay to

Ithaca Jackson Jackson Jackson Jacksonville Jacksonville

Metros near Green Bay on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Green Bay on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Green Bay cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Green Bay wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Green Bay?

Green Bay runs a $65,660 median salary at a 93.1 cost index, ranking #72 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Green Bay's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Green Bay head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Green Bay
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.