Compare / Des Moines to Madison
Des Moines, IA vs Madison, WI
Simple answer
You'd likely save $205 a month in Des Moines.
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 Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $259, with Madison higher.
Iowa taxes wages at a flat 3.80%. Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.2 percentage points, higher in Iowa. The effective property tax gap is 0.04 percentage points, higher in Iowa.
After a move from Iowa 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 Des Moines lines up with about $79,569 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.
Des Moines
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,360
- HUD area
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,178
- All-items price parity
- 91.7
- Goods price parity
- 93.7
- Utilities price parity
- 84.6
- Mean commute
- 21.4 min
- Median household income
- $85,446
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.
$79,569
Salary in Madison that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$81,073
Gross salary in Madison whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$86,305
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 | Iowa | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 3.80% flat | up to 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.9% | 5.7% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.29% | 1.25% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,168 a year in Iowa 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 Iowa and once in Wisconsin. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
WIC
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
School meals
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
Des MoinesMaybe
MadisonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
Des MoinesUnlikely
MadisonLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
Des MoinesLikely eligible
MadisonLikely eligible
SSI
Des MoinesUnlikely
MadisonUnlikely
| Program | Des Moines | 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 Des Moines the result is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” In Madison it is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” Iowa expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Des Moines
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Des Moines.
- Des Moines and San Francisco · rent gap $2,337
- Des Moines and San Jose · rent gap $1,912
- Des Moines and Boston · rent gap $1,648
- Des Moines and New York · rent gap $1,611
- Des Moines and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,604
- Des Moines and San Diego · rent gap $1,463
- Des Moines and Miami · rent gap $1,204
- Des Moines and Seattle · rent gap $1,189
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.