Portland, OR vs Madison, WI
Moving from Portland to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $89,898 in Madison, WI (−$10,102).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($325 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $20,196 | −$1,368 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,691 | −$549 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,085 | −$595 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,076 | +$372 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,300 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $15,162 | +$780 |
| Total | $47,470 | $46,510 | −$960 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 8 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |