Minneapolis, MN vs Madison, WI
Moving from Minneapolis to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $91,977 in Madison, WI (−$8,023).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($219 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $20,196 | −$456 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,691 | −$536 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,085 | −$290 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $2,076 | +$300 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $15,162 | −$1,183 |
| Total | $49,575 | $46,510 | −$3,065 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 8 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |