Indianapolis, IN vs Madison, WI
Moving from Indianapolis to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $101,357 in Madison, WI (+$1,357).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($156 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $20,196 | +$1,560 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,691 | −$49 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,085 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $2,076 | +$144 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,300 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $15,162 | +$7,795 |
| Total | $37,525 | $46,510 | +$8,985 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $42 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 8 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 34.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 48.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |