Denver, CO vs Madison, WI
Simple answer
You'd likely save $604 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 housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 47.2 points (Denver 146.9, Madison 99.7).
Colorado taxes wages at a flat 4.40%. Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.2 percentage points, higher in Colorado. The effective property tax gap is 0.76 percentage points, higher in Wisconsin.
After a move from Colorado 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 Denver lines up with about $68,977 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.
Denver
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,169
- HUD area
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,943
- All-items price parity
- 105.8
- Goods price parity
- 101.0
- Utilities price parity
- 87.9
- Mean commute
- 27.7 min
- Median household income
- $108,046
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.
$68,977
Salary in Madison that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$67,721
Gross salary in Madison whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$54,115
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 | Colorado | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 4.40% flat | up to 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.9% | 5.7% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.49% | 1.25% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,969 a year in Colorado 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 Colorado and once in Wisconsin. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
WIC
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
School meals
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
DenverMaybe
MadisonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
DenverUnlikely
MadisonLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
DenverLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
SSI
DenverUnlikely
MadisonUnlikely
| Program | Denver | 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 Denver the result is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” In Madison it is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” Colorado expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Denver
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Denver.
- Denver and San Francisco · rent gap $1,528
- Denver and McAllen · rent gap $1,152
- Denver and Wichita · rent gap $1,126
- Denver and San Jose · rent gap $1,103
- Denver and Little Rock · rent gap $1,048
- Denver and Toledo · rent gap $1,024
- Denver and El Paso · rent gap $1,023
- Denver and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,020
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.