Washington, DC vs Madison, WI
Moving from Washington to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Washington 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $87,577 in Madison, WI (−$12,423).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($389 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $20,196 | −$8,796 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,691 | −$626 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,085 | −$770 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $2,076 | −$672 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,300 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $15,162 | −$2,548 |
| Total | $60,023 | $46,510 | −$13,513 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $266 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 8 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |