Madison, WI vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Madison to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($452,769 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Madison vs Atlanta 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 Madison, WI, you'd need about $104,740 in Atlanta, GA (+$4,740).
Livability — Madison, WI: 62 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,878 sqft in Madison vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($266 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Madison, WI | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,196 | $22,080 | +$1,884 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $4,926 | +$235 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,515 | +$430 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $1,656 | −$420 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,100 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $15,162 | $10,533 | −$4,628 |
| Total | $46,510 | $44,810 | −$1,699 |
Side by side
| Metric | Madison, WI | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.9 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.42% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.46 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $452,769 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $266 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,683 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.75% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |