Software developer · Madison, WI
Software developer in Madison: $4,606/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median software developer wage in Madison at $130,630 a year. About 6,720 software developer jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.52). The 10th percentile is $82,790 and the 90th is $171,290. Pay ranks 72nd-highest of 375 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 8.2× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,330/mo). Wisconsin taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $4,606 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Ames, about 221 miles away, at $5,429 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$4,606
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$130,630
$82,790 to $171,290
Rent (1 bd)
$1,330
$1,583 (2 bd)
Employment
6,720
Location quotient 1.52
Pay rank
72nd of 375
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
8.2×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, software developer pay of $130,630.
- Taxes$3,035
- Rent$1,330
- Other living costs$1,915
- Left over$4,606
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $130,630
- Federal income tax
- −$20,598
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$9,993
- State income tax (WI)
- −$5,826
- Take-home pay
- $94,213
- Effective tax rate
- 27.9%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,330
- Groceries
- $388
- Getting around
- $509
- Healthcare
- $437
- Utilities and internet
- $243
- Everything else
- $340
- Total spending
- $3,245
Left over each month
$10,886 gross, minus $3,035 in tax and $3,245 in living costs.
$4,606
Rank every metro for a software developer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Ames, $5,429/mo.
Software developer leftover by city →Best cities for software developers to move to →Software developer nearby
Other jobs in Madison
- Registered nurse
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- Electrician
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- Pharmacist
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- Physical therapist
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Questions
What does a software developer make in Madison?
$130,630 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 6,720 software developer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a software developer in Madison?
$4,606 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Wisconsin taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,330, and pay covers 8.2× a year of it.
Where nearby would a software developer keep more?
Ames, about 221 miles away, leaves $5,429 a month, more than Madison.