Moving from Appleton to Madison
Appleton to Madison: $485 less leftover
$2,619/mo leftover in Madison vs $3,104 in Appleton after tax and rent ($485 less). −$5,820 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Appleton leftover
$3,104
a month after tax and rent
Madison leftover
$2,619
−$485 vs Appleton
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 220 households moved Appleton → Madison (about 288 people, average AGI $61,486). 145 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Appleton | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,940 | $5,864 |
| Rent | $916 | $1,330 |
| All other costs | $1,920 | $1,915 |
| Left over | $3,104 | $2,619 |
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Appleton and Madison moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 124 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,650–$3,100
- Container or pod
- $1,100–$2,100
- Rent a truck
- $400–$750
Other moves from Appleton
Dig into Madison
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Madison than Appleton?
A one-bedroom is about $916 in Appleton versus $1,330 in Madison. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $485 a month lower in Madison. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Madison have state income tax?
Madison is in Wisconsin, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Appleton to Madison?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Appleton → Madison move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.