Houston, TX vs Madison, WI
Moving from Houston to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($308,306 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Houston 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 Houston, TX, you'd need about $103,102 in Madison, WI (+$3,102).
Livability — Houston, TX: 75 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,406 sqft in Houston vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($147 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Houston, TX | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,668 | $20,196 | +$528 |
| Groceries | $5,085 | $4,691 | −$393 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,085 | −$590 |
| Utilities | $5,064 | $4,464 | −$600 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $2,870 | $6,804 | +$3,934 |
| Total | $36,542 | $39,420 | +$2,879 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Houston, TX: 2.9% · Madison, WI: 6.8% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Houston, TX | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.7 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.6% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 63 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $308,306 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.0% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,639 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.6% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.79% | 1.75% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.7 yrs | 80.5 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 19.6% | 4.8% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 61 | 115 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 84 | 6 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 0 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 92% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 22 |
| Commute by driving alone | 73.6% | 67.4% |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 97.6 — Relatively High | 87.8 — Relatively Moderate |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $42 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $85 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 430 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 8 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 55.6 | 34.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.1 | 48.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 59% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
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