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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Wisconsin face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 2 cities. It lines up with what you'd expect. Madison — index 96, rent $1,649/mo, healthcare index 99 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
#1 Ranked: Madison — cost index 96, rent $1,649/mo, income $76,983
Family-weighted scoring: income $76,983, healthcare index 99, population 280,305 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Families relocating within Wisconsin face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 2 cities. It lines up with what you'd expect. Madison — index 96, rent $1,649/mo, healthcare index 99 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
What does daily life actually cost in Madison? Start with the 26% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 96) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 99) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $76,983 and homes at $415,530 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Madison leads because it scores across all four. Milwaukee and the runner-up follow with even better healthcare costs.
Frankly, Now, the part that complicates the narrative: Across Wisconsin, the average cost of living index is 89 — 22 points below the national median. Known for dairy state stability with surprisingly low costs, the state offers 2 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,524/month. That's $371 less than the national average of $1,895. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
280,305 residents · Wisconsin
Here's Madison by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 96. Rent: $1,649/month. Income: $76,983/year. Home price: $415,530. Population: 280,305. The strongest category is Housing at 96; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,952 per year vs. the national median. This is worth factoring into any relocation decision.
561,385 residents · Wisconsin
A closer look at Milwaukee: the cost index of 82 breaks down to a Housing index of 82 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 96 (weakest). Median rent is $1,398/month — 26% below the national median — while household income sits at $51,888, meaning locals spend about 32% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Madison ranks #1 in Wisconsin for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of $76,983.
Madison scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,649/mo, and competitive median income of $76,983.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Madison (ranked #1) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,649/mo, while Milwaukee (ranked #2) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,398/mo — a 14-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Madison is $1,649/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $246 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Madison is $415,530, which is 5.4× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Wisconsin has a 7.65% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.44%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.51%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.