Madison, WI vs Washington, DC
Moving from Madison to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($452,769 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Madison vs Washington 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 $114,186 in Washington, DC (+$14,186).
Livability — Madison, WI: 62 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,878 sqft in Madison vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($266 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Madison, WI | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,196 | $28,992 | +$8,796 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $5,318 | +$626 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,855 | +$770 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $2,748 | +$672 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,400 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $15,162 | $17,710 | +$2,549 |
| Total | $46,510 | $60,023 | +$13,513 |
Side by side
| Metric | Madison, WI | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.9 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.42% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.46 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $452,769 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $266 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,683 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.75% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |