Madison, WI vs San Jose, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,707 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 112.2 points (Madison 99.7, San Jose 211.9).
Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 3.3 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.54 percentage points, higher in Wisconsin.
After a move from Wisconsin to California, 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 Madison lines up with about $85,127 in San Jose on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
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
San Jose
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,272
- HUD area
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,827
- All-items price parity
- 110.4
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 156.7
- Mean commute
- 27.5 min
- Median household income
- $164,801
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.
$85,127
Salary in San Jose that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$88,296
Gross salary in San Jose whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$156,805
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 | Wisconsin | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 7.65% | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 5.7% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.25% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,995 a year in Wisconsin and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Wisconsin and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
WIC
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
School meals
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
LIHEAP
MadisonMaybe
San JoseMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
MadisonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
SSI
MadisonUnlikely
San JoseUnlikely
| Program | Madison | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Likely eligible | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Madison the result is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” In San Jose it is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” California expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
Related comparisons
From Madison
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Madison.
- Madison and San Francisco · rent gap $2,132
- Madison and Boston · rent gap $1,443
- Madison and New York · rent gap $1,406
- Madison and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,399
- Madison and San Diego · rent gap $1,258
- Madison and Miami · rent gap $999
- Madison and Seattle · rent gap $984
- Madison and Urban Honolulu · rent gap $977
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.