🇺🇸 United States · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in Madison? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed apartment, the isthmus, Tenney-Lapham or downtownUSD 1,350–1,800 / month
One-bed apartment, Willy Street, Atwood or the near-west sideUSD 1,150–1,550 / month
Madison Metro single fareUSD 2.00, which acts as a 2-hour pass; a 31-day pass is USD 65.00 and fares cap automatically
Dinner for two on Willy Street or Monroe StreetUSD 55–90
Coffee at an independent caféUSD 4.00–5.50
Groceries, one personUSD 380–500 / month, at 5.5% sales tax — among the lowest combined rates of any large US city
Electricity and gas heating, one-bed, December to MarchUSD 120–240 / month
Property tax on the average Madison single-family home≈USD 8,100 / year on an average assessment of USD 481,300 — Wisconsin assesses at full market value
Good to know
Population
≈270,000 in the city and roughly 575,000 across Dane County — Wisconsin's second-largest city and the state capital
Languages
English; Spanish is the largest second language, with Hmong, Chinese, Nepali and Tibetan communities and a large international student and research population at UW-Madison
Currency
United States dollar (USD)
Time zone
Central Time — GMT-6 in winter, GMT-5 on daylight saving from mid-March to early November
Power plug
Types A and B, 120 V / 60 Hz
Climate
Humid continental — warm humid summers, long cold winters with the lakes frozen from roughly January to March, and a spring that arrives late and all at once
Local income tax
None. No Wisconsin city or county levies an income tax. Sales tax here is 5.5% — 5% state plus 0.5% Dane County — against 7.9% in Milwaukee, the only city in the state allowed its own
Minimum wage
USD 7.25/hour, matching the federal floor. Wisconsin has not raised it since 2009 and does not permit cities to set their own
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized Madison checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to Madison
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.