Detroit, MI vs Madison, WI
Moving from Detroit to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Detroit 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 Detroit, MI, you'd need about $97,705 in Madison, WI (−$2,295).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($163 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $20,196 | +$2,196 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,691 | −$205 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,085 | −$1,490 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,076 | −$240 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $15,162 | +$5,615 |
| Total | $40,634 | $46,510 | +$5,875 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 8 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |