What it's like to live in Cudahy
Cudahy is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cudahy deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 49" per year
How Cudahy compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cudahy
Based on Cudahy's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,056
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $41,120 a year
- 44% of Cudahy renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,300
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,650
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 27% below US
$1,028/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,028 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $216,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $216,500 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Milwaukee County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Milwaukee County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 72% below US
91 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 598/100k · Cudahy Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 10% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.3 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 20°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 19% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Pullman National Historical Park (88 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Cudahy's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,028/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Cudahy
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