Madison, WI vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $984 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 $984: Seattle is higher at $2,549 versus $1,565.
Wisconsin taxes wages at rates up to 7.65%. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 3.8 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.46 percentage points, higher in Wisconsin.
After a move from Wisconsin to Washington, 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 $85,674 in Seattle 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
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
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.
$85,674
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$83,248
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$122,157
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 | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 7.65% | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 5.7% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.25% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,995 a year in Wisconsin and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Wisconsin and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
WIC
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
School meals
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
LIHEAP
MadisonMaybe
SeattleMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
MadisonLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
SSI
MadisonUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
| Program | Madison | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Seattle it is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” Washington 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 San Jose · rent gap $1,707
- 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 Urban Honolulu · rent gap $977
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.