• I visited Walmart in Wisconsin and New Jersey to compare stores in the Midwest and the East Coast.
• Milk was less expensive in Wisconsin, but a dozen eggs cost the same at both locations.
• New Jersey's Walmart had a food hall startup, Wonder, founded by a former Walmart executive.

As a Midwesterner who moved to New York City a decade ago, I still find myself surprised by regional differences in national brands.

As part of an ongoing series comparing nationwide retailers in the Midwest and on the East Coast, I visited Walmart locations in Wisconsin and New Jersey to compare their prices, offerings, and store amenities.

First, I visited a 200,000-square-foot Walmart store in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The following week, I visited a Walmart in Teterboro, New Jersey, around 8 miles from Manhattan. Unions and politicians have long blocked Walmart stores from opening in New York City due to concerns about its potential impact on local businesses.

The 150,000-square-foot Teterboro store is one of 12 flagship Walmart stores in the country, offering technologies and amenities unavailable in all locations.

Here are the most surprising differences I noticed.

At Walmart in Manitowoc, Wisconsin's state flag was displayed at the checkout counters.

Wisconsin's state flag features a coat of arms and a badger flanked by a sailor and a yeoman.

New Jersey's state flag was displayed at the Walmart I visited in Teterboro.

New Jersey's flag depicts its state seal in the official state colors George Washington chose during the Revolutionary War: buff and Jersey blue.

"In almost all stores, a US and state flag are displayed near the storefront as a show of support to the communities the company serves," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.

The Walmart store in Wisconsin had an entire aisle of beer including many local brews.

Wisconsin is known for its beer, and New Glarus Brewing's Spotted Cow is one of the state's most beloved brews.

In New Jersey, Walmart didn't sell alcohol because of the state's liquor licensing laws.

The Teterboro Walmart had plenty of ginger beer, sparkling grape juice, and non-alcoholic cocktail mixes, but I was surprised it didn't sell any alcohol.

New Jersey's liquor laws dictate that only two locations of corporately owned supermarkets can sell beer, wine, and spirits in the state, NJ.com reported.

In the Midwest store, toiletries like CeraVe face wash were stocked on open shelves.

In Wisconsin, the only personal care products kept on locked shelves were sexual wellness items like condoms, emergency contraceptives, and pregnancy tests.

In the East Coast store I visited, the same items were kept behind lock and key.

I noticed the same phenomenon when I compared Target stores in the Midwest and New York City. On the East Coast, more items were kept in locked cases to prevent theft.

A Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider that "some products are subject to additional security," determined "on a store-by-store basis."

A gallon of store-brand skim milk cost $2.96 at Walmart in Wisconsin.

In February, the government benefits resource website HelpAdvisor analyzed findings from the 2023 US Census Household Pulse Survey and determined that Wisconsin had the lowest average grocery costs out of any state.

The same gallon of milk cost $3.29 in New Jersey, a price difference of 33 cents.

Milk at New Jersey's Walmart costs 11.2% more than it did in Wisconsin.

Grocery prices often vary by state due to differences in labor costs, food distribution costs, and the overall cost of living.

"We're committed to meeting our customers' shopping needs wherever they shop with us and understand in-store pricing can differ due to regional operating costs, extensive supplier networks, strict regulatory compliance, and competition," a Walmart spokesperson said.

In Wisconsin, a dozen large eggs were priced at $3.97 and came in Styrofoam cartons.

The grade-A eggs were also from Walmart's Great Value brand.

At Walmart in New Jersey, the eggs were also $3.97 but came in paper cartons.

Styrofoam food service products have been banned in New Jersey since 2022, although egg cartons were exempt from the ban until earlier this year.

I was surprised that eggs cost the same at both locations even though they were packaged differently.

In Wisconsin, an outdoor services counter offered assistance with hunting and fishing licenses.

The store also stocked pellet guns and air rifles for small game hunting.

I didn't see an outdoor services counter at the Walmart in New Jersey.

A Walmart spokesperson confirmed that outdoor sporting licenses are not offered at the Teterboro location, though they are available at other store locations in New Jersey.

The Teterboro store also didn't stock any guns other than toys and water guns.

The Wisconsin Walmart sold a variety of prepared foods in the grocery section.

The Walmart store in Manitowoc featured a bakery and deli. It also sold packaged salads and take-and-bake pizzas.

In New Jersey, the Teterboro Walmart featured a Wonder food hall, a startup founded by former Walmart executive Marc Lore.

Lore previously served as Walmart's president of e-commerce. His startup, Wonder, offers dine-in, delivery, and takeout meals from restaurants by celebrity and Michelin-star chefs.

Teterboro is the third Walmart store to open a Wonder location. The others are at Walmart stores in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and Ledgewood, New Jersey.

Wonder has continued to grow, acquiring the meal-kit company Blue Apron for $103 million in 2023 and GrubHub for $650 million in November.

• We pay half of our two family members' rent in Los Angeles so we can stay with them when we want.
• Most of the year, we live in our house in Wisconsin, where my husband works and our mortgage is low.
• We've had to get creative to afford to live in both places, but we're happy to make it work.

In August, my husband and I signed a one-year lease for a two-bedroom apartment in Studio City without giving up our home in Wisconsin.

We love the Midwest, but I grew up in Los Angeles County and often miss my home state — especially in winter when temperatures in Wisconsin can plummet below zero.

My family and I have often traveled to California, visiting family and friends, splurging on Disneyland, and enjoying the beach. Our trips have been soul-nourishing and fun but pricey. On average, we've spent about $200 to $300 a night on Airbnbs alone.

We've talked about moving to California, but there are delightful obstacles in our path. First of all, we adore our community, and my husband loves his job in Wisconsin.

We also love our house and the 3 acres of land it's on. Plus, the low 3% interest rate on our mortgage means living in our five-bedroom home in Wisconsin costs about the same a month as renting a 1,000-square-foot apartment in Los Angeles.

So when two members of our family decided to move to Los Angeles, we made a proposal: If you can put us up for some of the year, we'll pay half the rent.

They happily accepted. This way, they could afford a larger place in a nicer neighborhood, and we'd get a pied-à-terre with the flexibility to come and go as we please for just $1,750 a month.

After a fun period of collaborative apartment hunting, we found a great space in Studio City and have been back and forth several times.

To make this work, we've found ways to live frugally and save money

Whenever we've gone to Los Angeles for an extended visit, we've driven the 2,000 miles in our hybrid to save on airfares and car rentals once we arrive.

For shorter trips, we find cheap flights. Since we keep clothes, toiletries, and books in both places, we only need laptop bags when we travel, which saves money on checking bags.

We also arranged for a friend in Wisconsin to stay in our house while we're gone, so we don't need to pay someone to water our plants or mow the lawn.

Our apartment in Los Angeles has been furnished with Ikea sale items, donations from friends, and cheap (or free) finds from Facebook Marketplace and our neighbors.

When we're home in Wisconsin, we live frugally. If we're going to splurge a bit, we prefer to do it in Los Angeles.

Although the cost of living is higher there, we've also found many free or inexpensive things to do for fun: hiking on many of the nearby trails, going to the beach, exploring different neighborhoods, and visiting free museums.

If we go out to eat, we do so during happy hour to take advantage of discounted specials. Potluck meals with friends have also been a great way for us to have fun in Los Angeles without breaking the bank.

Since we live in a neighborhood close to shops and restaurants, we also save money on gas and get our steps in by walking as much as possible.

We still meet our savings goals by using the money we'd normally budget for vacations to support this lifestyle instead.

For now, I hope to continue living across 2 states

My favorite things about living between the Midwest and West Coast have been the excitement of always looking forward to something new, enjoying the beauty in both locales, and spending time with family and friends in each place.

Our lease will be up in August 2025, and I don't know if our family members will continue to live in Los Angeles.

If they move out and on, my husband and I will need to get even more creative to keep making our California-Wisconsin lifestyle work. We'd probably need to downsize the apartment and find other ways to cut back on our spending — but that's fine by me.

Every time I walk along the beach in Malibu on a sunny day in January while it's -10 degrees in Wisconsin, I know it's worth it.

The Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, says he agrees with one part of border czar appointee Tom Homan's historic mass deportation campaign under the incoming Trump administration.

Pritzker was responding to comments made by Homan at the Northwest Side GOP gathering that happened Monday evening,  according to FOX 32 Chicago, where he threatened to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The move would impact tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Chicago and Illinois.

"Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported," Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference, the local station reported. "I do not want them in my state, I don't think they should be in the United States."

Homan has said no one is off the table when it comes to deportations, although public safety threats will be the priority. He directly mentioned Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson in his remarks.

CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE 'STUPIDITY' OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING

"If your Chicago mayor doesn't want to help, he can step aside," Homan said. "But if he impedes us, if he knowingly harbors an illegal alien, I will prosecute him."

Pritzker has said he would welcome a meeting with Homan or the incoming Trump administration, according to FOX 32, but no one has reached out to him.

NEW DATA REVEALS AMERICA HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS FROM US ADVERSARY WITH DEPORTATION ORDERS

Illinois republicans not only urge Pritzker to work with Homan, but say the state should repeal sanctuary laws that generally limit law enforcement's cooperation with ICE.

Currently, 1.4 million noncitizens have deportation orders but are not currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, according to new figures obtained by Fox News. 

The top countries of nationals on the list include Mexico (252,044), Guatemala (253,413), Honduras (261,651) and El Salvador (203,822).

Other countries include China, which has 37,908 nationals on the docket with final orders of removal, Haiti (32,363), Iran (2,618), Pakistan (7,76), Uzbekistan, (975) and Venezuela (22,749).

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

• I love many things about Florida, but after 11 years, I left to move back to the Midwest.
• My insurance costs in Florida were high and driving in our county felt dangerous and intense.
• I often let the state's many mosquitos, heat, and humidity deter me from going outside.

We first fell in love with Florida after visiting it on a family vacation in 1997.

After many more pleasant family vacations to the state, we left our hometown in Missouri and moved to Florida in early 2013.

We thought Jacksonville would be a good place to settle, as it was close to many Florida hot spots and great vacation cities in neighboring states.

It turns out, I'm much happier visiting Florida than living there full time. Here are a few things that led me to move back home to the Midwest after 11 years.

I didn't like driving in our county, and I often worried about my family's safety on the roads

Witnessing high-speed chases on the interstate, cars failing to yield, and trucks running red lights were part of our daily life in Jax.

Our county, in particular, has some of the deadliest roads in Florida.

I worried about my young daughter daily as she commuted to work on I-95. Although I trusted her as a driver, I was concerned about everyone else on the interstates and roads.

She'd often tell me about cars going well over the already high-speed limit and how drivers would regularly speed up instead of letting her over for her exit or lane merge.

A few months ago, she moved to a much smaller city in the Midwest, and I stopped worrying so much about her daily commute. I figure if she could manage in a place like Jax, she could drive anywhere.

Insurance felt like a huge part of my budget in Florida

No one likes to pay a monthly insurance premium, but the cost felt especially tough to stomach while I lived in Florida.

A MarketWatch analysis found that the average full-coverage car insurance cost in Florida was 42% higher than the national average.

The big kicker was finding out that I'd moved into a no-fault state. This means that no matter who's at fault in a collision, each driver has to rely on their own insurance to cover medical expenses and other financial losses.

Florida is also dealing with a home insurance crisis. Homeowners in many parts of the state struggle to keep up with sky-high premiums, especially after the recent hurricanes.

I'd often have to cut spending in other parts of my life just to cover my monthly high insurance costs. Now that I'm out of Florida, my monthly insurance expenses are lower, giving me breathing room to spend my money on more fun stuff.

I didn't love the high temperatures and humidity during the day

With sunlight beaming down most of the year, it's clear why Florida is known as the Sunshine State. During some summer months, Florida's average highs were above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

I struggled to deal with the heat. Some may love it, but I found it could feel draining. With high humidity, the heat felt even worse. Jacksonville's average annual percentage of humidity can be a sweaty 72% or higher.

Unfortunately, the heat and humidity kept me from fully enjoying all the beautiful outdoor activities and attractions throughout Florida.

My naturally curly hair turned into a pile of frizz each time I stepped out of the front door — sometimes, I'd feel so self-conscious about it I'd just stay home.

Instead of participating in outdoor adventures throughout the area, I often chose to stay home in the air conditioning.

Lastly, I missed experiencing the variety of the seasons and the temperature drops that come with some of them. The Midwest's changing weather is a much better fit for me.

Mosquitoes were a huge nuisance to me at night

I also struggled to deal with mosquitoes when I lived in the Sunshine State. Although the pesky insects can be found in every state, Florida has more than most and over 80 species of them.

I seemed to be allergic to their bites, which would stay swollen on my body for days. Because of this, I didn't journey outside too much without first coating myself in bug repellent.

The repellent wasn't always super effective, so I eventually stopped going outside in the evenings to avoid getting bit.

Overall, I'm happier in the Midwest

I get why so many springbreakers and snowbirds are drawn to Florida. It has a lot of sunshine, natural beauty, and fun outdoor activities.

Still, for many reasons, I found it tough to fully enjoy the state and its beauty.

The Midwest is a better fit for me, and I'm glad I moved back. These days, I enjoy my slower-paced life in a state where I can feel the seasons change — and I no longer mind going outside so much.