Chicago, IL vs Madison, WI
Moving from Chicago to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($353,998 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
Chicago 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 Chicago, IL, you'd need about $89,690 in Madison, WI (−$10,310).
Livability — Chicago, IL: 63 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,402 sqft in Chicago vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($208 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chicago, IL | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,192 | $20,196 | −$6,996 |
| Groceries | $5,215 | $4,691 | −$524 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,085 | −$465 |
| Utilities | $4,800 | $4,464 | −$336 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,051 | $6,804 | −$1,247 |
| Total | $48,988 | $39,420 | −$9,568 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Chicago, IL: 8.1% · Madison, WI: 6.8% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Chicago, IL | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.19% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $353,998 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.4% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $266 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 12.9% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 2.11% | 1.75% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.2 yrs | 80.5 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 8.4% | 4.8% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 85 | 115 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 18 | 6 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 0 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 96% | 92% |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 22 |
| Commute by driving alone | 63.6% | 67.4% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 97.1 — Relatively High | 87.8 — Relatively Moderate |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $57 | $42 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $85 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 430 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 8 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 40.9 | 34.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 38.8 | 48.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 54% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |
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