Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek → Milwaukee-Waukesha
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $3K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - $65/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek to Milwaukee-Waukesha shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 92.7 to 96.9 (100 = US average), so a Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek salary needs to be multiplied by 1.05 to hold the same purchasing power in Milwaukee-Waukesha. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,273/month in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek to $1,338/month in Milwaukee-Waukesha - a higher monthly bill of $65, or $780/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $68,046 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek versus $71,499 in Milwaukee-Waukesha - a raw gap of $3,453 higher. The Milwaukee-Waukesha labor market has 800,340 tracked jobs against 365,260 in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek and Milwaukee-Waukesha are 293 and 280 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 18.2:1 at origin versus 14.4:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $11,791/year in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek versus $11,256/year in Milwaukee-Waukesha. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek to see what you'd need to earn in Milwaukee-Waukesha to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Milwaukee-Waukesha more expensive than Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek?
What are salaries like in Milwaukee-Waukesha compared to Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek?
Is Milwaukee-Waukesha safer than Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek?
How much would I need to earn in Milwaukee-Waukesha to match my Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek salary?
What does the "Less Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.