Cost of Living in Madison, 🇺🇸 United States - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 8, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,200 $1,400 $1,800 $950 $120

Utilities — $160 $200 $150 —

Internet & Mobile $80 $75 $100 $70 $5

Groceries $100 $400 $800 $350 —

Transportation $80 $70 $150 $60 $15

Dining Out $900 $300 $400 $120 $60

Leisure Activities $200 $100 $200 $50 $30

Health Insurance $80 $150 $400 $100 $10

Visa & Legal Fees $50 $100 $200 — —

Total $3,690 $2,755 $4,250 $1,850 $240

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Coworking Space $200.00 per month

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,250.00 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $2,200.00 per month

Coliving Space $900.00 per month

Food & Dining

Beer $5.50 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $15.00 per meal

Fast Food Combo $9.50 per meal

Apples $2.50 per kg

Bread $3.00 per loaf

Milk $1.80 per liter

Chicken Fillets $11.00 per kg

Beef $15.00 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $16.00 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $65.00 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $1.50 per bottle

Coffee $4.50 per cup

Rice $2.20 per kg

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.50 per trip

Taxi per km $1.80 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $65.00 per month

Gasoline $1.20 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $12.00 per trip

Scooter Rental $25.00 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $50.00 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $65.00 per month

Gym Membership $45.00 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $15.00 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $30.00 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $12.00 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $55.00 per pair

Summer Dress $40.00 per dress

Running Shoes $90.00 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $25.00 per visit

Laundry $5.00 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $150.00 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $12.00 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 8, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Madison cost of living