Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Crosse, WI and Wolfsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Wolfsburg: $1,770 a month against $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in La Crosse, WI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
Learn more

La Crosse, WI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Wolfsburg
Learn more

Wolfsburg Living Index

Jump to prices

La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,198

/mo nomad

Wolfsburg

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Crosse, WI and in Wolfsburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in La Crosse, WI and in Wolfsburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,198 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,770 in Wolfsburg, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $2,198
Wolfsburg $1,770

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $3,313 in Wolfsburg, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $3,399
Wolfsburg $3,313

A family of three spends $4,601 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $4,857 in Wolfsburg, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $4,601
Wolfsburg $4,857

La Crosse, WI costs about 24% more than Wolfsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both La Crosse, WI and Wolfsburg sit above the global median – La Crosse, WI by 63%, Wolfsburg by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$13.61 €12.10

10.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 $71.2

$53.2 €47.29

34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$12.07 €10.73

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.99 €3.55

41.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.47 €2.19

-10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.84 €2.52

-58.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 $4.44

$4.99 €4.44

-11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.18 €2.83

87.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.21 €1.08

-40.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.18 €1.94

16.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.59 €3.20

32.87%

Eggs

$2.40 $2.40

$3.76 €3.34

-36.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$14.37 €12.78

-30.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 $10.69

$12.09 €10.76

-11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$18.03 €16.04

-8.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.12 €2.77

57.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.73 €1.54

-35.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.04 €1.81

52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.68 €4.16

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.38 €1.23

44.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.27 €1.13

81.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.76 €1.56

17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.01 €0.90

69.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$9.04 €8.04

7.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 $11.04

$5.61 €4.99

96.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.06 €0.94

71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.60 €1.42

21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.27 €2.91

-70.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.58 $35.58

$68.9 €61.3

-48.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.67 $44.67

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.01 €1.78

-55.72%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.8K $38.8K

$32.9K €29.3K

17.96%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K $24.3K

$38.1K €33.9K

-36.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$206 $206

$227 €202

-9.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$33.87 €30.12

60.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$53.5 €47.62

24.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 $39.44

$32.83 €29.20

20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 $3.95

$27.48 €24.44

-85.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$15.86 €14.11

-24.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$890 $890

$831 €739

7.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 $63.3

$113 €101

-43.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 $63.3

$38.28 €34.05

65.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$151 €135

-47.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$231 €205

-47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$594 €528

28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 $1,000

$499 €444

100.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 $2,227

$1,195 €1,063

86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 $1,983

$2,130 €1,895

-6.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 $1,907

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 $1,920

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 $4,088

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.95

67.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for La Crosse, WI: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wolfsburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

La Crosse, WI

$1K 45.5%

Wolfsburg

$499 28.2% 50.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

La Crosse, WI

$338 15.4%

Wolfsburg

$324 18.3% 4.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Crosse, WI

$328 14.9%

Wolfsburg

$315 17.8% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

La Crosse, WI

$269 12.2%

Wolfsburg

$246 13.9% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

La Crosse, WI

$147 6.7%

Wolfsburg

$240 13.6% 63.2% $93

Sport & Entertainment

La Crosse, WI

$63 2.9%

Wolfsburg

$65 3.7% 2% $1.3

Getting Around

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.4%

Wolfsburg

$82 * 4.6% 56.3% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in La Crosse, WI versus $594 in Wolfsburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in La Crosse, WI versus $53.0 in Wolfsburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $324 – making Wolfsburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🇩🇪 Wolfsburg

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

06:33 6:33 AM

7 h ahead of La Crosse, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,680

122,457

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Crosse, WI Wolfsburg 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

La Crosse, WI
Wolfsburg

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

La Crosse, WI vs Wolfsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, $1,770 in Wolfsburg – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,297 per month in La Crosse, WI and $2,655 in Wolfsburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wolfsburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in La Crosse, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in La Crosse, WI and $53.0 in Wolfsburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Wolfsburg, where all-in costs run around $1,770, than in La Crosse, WI at $2,198. In Wolfsburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Crosse, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wolfsburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Wolfsburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Crosse, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.