Miami, FL vs Madison, WI
Moving from Miami to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($475,622 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Miami 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 Miami, FL, you'd need about $85,588 in Madison, WI (−$14,412).
Livability — Miami, FL: 57 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,945 sqft in Miami vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($257 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Miami, FL | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $32,316 | $20,196 | −$12,120 |
| Groceries | $5,091 | $4,691 | −$400 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,085 | −$1,715 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,076 | +$420 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,300 | −$2,900 |
| Taxes | $5,772 | $15,162 | +$9,390 |
| Total | $53,835 | $46,510 | −$7,325 |
Side by side
| Metric | Miami, FL | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.1 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.38 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $475,622 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.9% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $257 | $266 |
| Median rent | $2,693 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $38 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $42 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 8 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 67.4 | 34.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 48.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 70% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |