Overall
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 96.9
- Madison
- 97.3
Diff +0.4 RPP
Milwaukee-Waukesha vs Madison
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Madison is 0.4% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha.
0.4% more expensive
Madison, WI is 0.4% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 97.3 vs 96.9). A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha buys about the same as $100,361 in Madison; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 96.9 (Milwaukee-Waukesha) vs 97.3 (Madison)
- $100k in Milwaukee-Waukesha ≈ $100,361 purchasing power in Madison
- Rents drives the gap (+2.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:WI 96.9→97.3
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · WI
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Milwaukee-Waukesha
96.9
Cost Index
Madison
97.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI and Madison, WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Madison is 2.6 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Milwaukee-Waukesha corresponds to $100,361 in Madison.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 93.8
- Madison
- 93.8
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 91.6
- Madison
- 89.8
Diff -1.8 RPP
Rents
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 97.1
- Madison
- 99.7
Diff +2.6 RPP
| Category | Milwaukee-Waukesha | Madison | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 96.9 | 97.3 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0 |
| Services | 91.6 | 89.8 | -1.8 |
| Rents | 97.1 | 99.7 | +2.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Milwaukee-Waukesha 96.9
Madison 97.3
Goods
Milwaukee-Waukesha 93.8
Madison 93.8
Services
Milwaukee-Waukesha 91.6
Madison 89.8
Rents
Milwaukee-Waukesha 97.1
Madison 99.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha would need to be in Madison for the same purchasing power:
| In Milwaukee-Waukesha | In Madison | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,181 | +$181 |
| $75,000 | $75,271 | +$271 |
| $100,000 | $100,361 | +$361 |
| $150,000 | $150,542 | +$542 |
$ in Milwaukee-Waukesha = in Madison
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (96.9 → 97.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Madison more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Madison is 0.4% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha. The overall cost index is 97.3 vs 96.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Madison equals $100K in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha has the same purchasing power as $100,361 in Madison. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Milwaukee-Waukesha and Madison?
Rents in Milwaukee-Waukesha are indexed at 97.1 while Madison is at 99.7 (national average = 100). Madison has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.