Columbus, OH vs Madison, WI
Moving from Columbus to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Madison at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Columbus, OH, you'd need about $101,378 in Madison, WI (+$1,378).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($202 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $20,196 | +$1,908 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,691 | −$15 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,085 | +$60 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,076 | −$24 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $15,162 | +$5,451 |
| Total | $39,130 | $46,510 | +$7,380 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 8 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |