Dane County · Wisconsin · Midwest · 278k residents
Madison, WI: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Madison: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Wisconsin median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
The median home value in Madison is $420,000, 65% above the Wisconsin median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,750/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 101 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $74,000 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findingsLimited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A lakeside college town where public life, bikes, farmers markets, and cheese-country culture overlap.
Known for: The University of Wisconsin, lakes, cycling, progressive civic culture, and food.
Calendar note: The Dane County Farmers’ Market and Concerts on the Square are signature traditions.
Story source: Destination Madison
- Scale: A large city with a quarter-million or more residents in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Madison about 57 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 190 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 51 and an average commute of 21 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Madison side by side
Cost of living index
101
Median home value
$420,000
2-bedroom rent
$1,750/mo
Median household income
$74,000
Housing momentum
How fast Madison's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
57/100
Steady
Ranks Madison's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Madison's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| Median home value | $420,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $250 |
| Property tax rate | 1.9% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,450/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,750/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.17% |
| Sales tax | 5.5% |
| Cost of living index | 101 |
| Groceries index | 101 |
| Utilities | $150/mo |
| Transit pass | $65/mo |
| Gas price | $3.00/gal |
| Healthcare index | 105 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $74,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% |
| Population | 278k |
| Crime index | 35/100 |
| School rating | 7.5/10 |
| Walkability | 51/100 |
| Disaster risk | 94/100 |
| Avg. commute | 21 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 82°F |
| January low | 11°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +2.1% |
| Home price MoM | -0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +2.9% |
| Rent MoM | +0.3% |
| Ocean coast | 804 mi |
| Big lake | 57 mi |
| Mountains | 387 mi |
| Major airport | 5 mi |
| Ski resort | 129 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Fitchburg, WI · 33k
- Middleton, WI · 22k
- Waunakee, WI · 16k
- Verona, WI · 15k
- Sun Prairie, WI · 38k
Similar size
- Green Bay, WI · 106k
- Kenosha, WI · 99k
- Racine, WI · 78k
- Appleton, WI · 75k
- Waukesha, WI · 71k
Real listings in Madison
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Madison, WI?
- Madison indexes at 101 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,750/mo and a median home value of $420,000.
- How much does a house cost in Madison?
- The median home value in Madison is $420,000, 65% above the Wisconsin median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Madison?
- A two-bedroom in Madison rents for about $1,750/mo.