Boston, MA vs Madison, WI
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,443 a month in Madison.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $1,443: Boston is higher at $3,008 versus $1,565.
Massachusetts taxes wages at rates up to 9.00%. Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.5 percentage points, higher in Massachusetts. The effective property tax gap is 0.25 percentage points, higher in Wisconsin.
After a move from Massachusetts to Wisconsin, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Boston lines up with about $67,394 in Madison on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Boston
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,008
- HUD area
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,093
- All-items price parity
- 108.3
- Goods price parity
- 99.7
- Utilities price parity
- 148.8
- Mean commute
- 31.9 min
- Median household income
- $117,825
Madison
Madison, WI
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,565
- HUD area
- Madison, WI HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,437
- All-items price parity
- 97.3
- Goods price parity
- 93.8
- Utilities price parity
- 89.8
- Mean commute
- 21.9 min
- Median household income
- $89,714
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$67,394
Salary in Madison that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$64,797
Gross salary in Madison whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$39,021
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Massachusetts | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 9.00% | up to 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.3% | 5.7% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.00% | 1.25% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,004 a year in Massachusetts and $4,995 in Wisconsin. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Wisconsin
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Massachusetts and once in Wisconsin. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
WIC
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
School meals
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
BostonMaybe
MadisonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
BostonUnlikely
MadisonLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
BostonLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
SSI
BostonUnlikely
MadisonUnlikely
| Program | Boston | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Boston the result is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” In Madison it is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” Massachusetts expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Boston
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Boston.
- Boston and McAllen · rent gap $1,991
- Boston and Wichita · rent gap $1,965
- Boston and Little Rock · rent gap $1,887
- Boston and Toledo · rent gap $1,863
- Boston and El Paso · rent gap $1,862
- Boston and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,859
- Boston and Columbia · rent gap $1,782
- Boston and Tulsa · rent gap $1,779
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.