Monthly living expense for a family in Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA (Franklin: apartments, to rent)

[nbond]

Hello Everyone,

I'm from India.
I have got a job in Milwaukee, WI 53202. I would like to know the monthly living expense (Rent either house/apartment possibly in ZIP-53202 (suggestion welcome), Phone, Cable, Internet, Electricity, Travel, Food) for a family of three (myself, my wife and our 6 month old child).
Will it be a Good idea to go Milwaukee with 6 month old child. My wife is homemaker.
Appreciate greatly if you also let me know the tax rule. [My monthly paycheck will be fall in range between $4k to $4.5. Will i be able to save few penny. ]

Please reply.

Many Thanks for your help!!!

[Empidonax]

Hi,

Will the $4,000 per month be pre-tax gross income? Or is that net income after tax (federal, state, social security, medicare) withholding? Either way, you should be able to do okay, though things could get a bit tight if your actual monthly take-home pay is closer to $3,000 per month.

53202 is the city's east side area--a densely built and highly populated area with a lot of cultural attractions, restaurants, etc. The area has a large proportion of single people and couples without children (lots of students, urban professionals, retired people, etc.), but you will see some families around also. You don't necessarily have to rent an apartment in that area if it doesn't suit you: there are more family-friendly neighborhoods to the north (in 53211) and in outlying areas. The Milwaukee County Bus System is pretty good, so you can commute to work by bus if you don't have a car. Take a look at the bus routes and schedules for more info.

I don't know the apartment scene very well, so others on this board should be able to provide more specific info. You should be able to find something large enough for your family in a place not too far from work for $900-$1500 per month, though. Sometimes certain utilities (water, heat, etc.) are included in the rent, sometimes they're not--you have to ask each particular landlord. I believe you can get bundled cable/telephone/internet packages for $100/mo or less, but another person on this board should be able to give better info (I don't have tv, but I pay $65/mo for a landline phone and DSL internet). Time-Warner and AT&T are two popular local providers of cable/telephone/internet.

I'm not sure what a family of three, including an infant, would spend per month on food and other day-to-day needs (maybe $300-$500?), but you should do okay. Many families of equal or larger size in the area do just fine on much less income.

There is a small but active Indian community (or set of different Indian communities) in the Milwaukee area. Here are some links that may (or may not) be of some help (these sites are targeted toward Hindus, but even if you're not Hindu, maybe you can get some helpful information from them):

Milwaukee Desi, Milwaukee Indian Community, Milwaukee Indians
Welcome to Wisconsin Indian Community | Wisconsin Desi Community
HTW | Home

[Round-A-bout]

I would recommend looking at the Juneau Village Towers. It may be on the high-end of your budget but it's close to everything downtown and you could get by without a car, therefore saving on your overall expenses. They are not fancy apartments, but they are nice enough. Also, I believe there are a healthy amount of families from India living in the towers, and I have seen some small children living there, not too many though. Anyways, you should look into those apartments. There are other options of course as well. Do you know where you'll be working at or the approximate location?

[sammy.t]

Just an FYI Oak Creek and Franklin have quite a few Indian ladies that meet at storytime at the library and playgrounds. They seem to all know each other and sometimes there are about 20 of them. They are all nice, but when there are so many of them and I am a white girl I don't really talk too much to them.

[Nuclear_Art]

You could do it and save some money although you may want to start out with lesser expenses to begin with. You could save money by not getting cable and commuting by bus to work. If the rent includes cable and internet then it is good.

There is a great Indian grocery store on West North Avenue and North 107th St. They have very cheap prices for many items in bulk. A large bag of rice is unbelievably cheap.You may want to look for apartments within walking distance of that. It is also adjacent to Mayfair mall and other shopping. There are several good places there and the neighborhood is very nice. You will have more reasonable living expenses than living downtown.

[NewIndian_ComingOnBoard]

Hi All,

Nice to see a topic of my interest being discussed here. My husband is expected to be posted to Milwaukee within a couple of months, and me and our 2 kids (aged 3 & 8 yrs) will be moving with him. Hence wanted similar info about living expenses and schooling costs etc there.
Have been looking up certain apartments mentioned in similar forums where indians are already living. Would also help to know names of elementaty schools and play schools where Indians are studying.
Please help.
Also how easy or difficult is it for me (being on L2 visa) to get an EAD and there after a software job, since i have around 10 yrs of work exp back in India, Bangalore.
Any information will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks !