?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Beloit, WI vs Madison, WI

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Beloit needs about $96,500 in Madison to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Madison, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $73,500 in Beloit.

A few differences

Beloit vs Madison · facet by facet
FacetBeloit, WIMadison, WI
Median home price$156,500$420,000
2-bedroom rent$1,088/mo$1,750/mo
Property tax rate1.61%1.9%
State & local income tax3.17%3.17%
Sales tax5.7%5.5%
Cost of living index80101
Groceries index96101
Utilities$155/mo$150/mo
Median household income$62,663$74,000
Unemployment rate3%2.7%
Crime index38/10035/100
School rating6.7/107.5/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Beloit, WI · Madison, WI
Questions & answers
Is Beloit cheaper than Madison?
Beloit has the lower day-to-day cost index (80 vs 101 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Madison equals $85,000 in Beloit?
A household earning $85,000 in Beloit needs about $96,500 in Madison to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Madison lifestyle costs about $73,500 in Beloit.