Madison, WI vs Milwaukee, WI vs Watertown, WI | City comparison

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Side-by-side relocation research with housing, income, commute, career, lifestyle, and friction signals. Green marks the strongest metric in each row; red marks the weakest.

Madison, WI

Madison
Home
$429,253
Rent
$1,697/mo
Income
$78,050
Pop.
285,300
Career
97
Remote
51

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee-Waukesha
Home
$226,456
Rent
$1,461/mo
Income
$54,234
Pop.
563,531
Career
75
Remote
40

Watertown, WI

Beaver Dam
Home
$324,473
Rent
$1,112/mo
Income
$70,107
Pop.
22,617
Career
73
Remote
24
MetricMadison, WIMilwaukee, WIWatertown, WI
Population285,300563,53122,617
Population growth / yr+1.4%-0.6%-0.3%
Median home value$429,253$226,456$324,473
Median rent$1,697/mo$1,461/mo$1,112/mo
Median household income$78,050$54,234$70,107
Home value YoY+2.2%+3.6%+7.0%
5-year home CAGR+5.8%+7.1%+7.1%
Off 5-year peak-0.0%+0.0%+0.0%
Momentum score717073
Career fit977573
Remote-work fit514024
Average commute21 min24 min26 min
Traffic friction334240
Public transit gap6365100
Outdoors fit333333
Dating scene proxy665423

Best-fit read

  • Milwaukee, WI tends to score better for lower purchase budget.
  • Watertown, WI tends to score better for lower rent.
  • Madison, WI tends to score better for higher local income.
  • Madison, WI tends to score better for career momentum.
  • Madison, WI tends to score better for remote-work fit.

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Madison, WI profile
Milwaukee, WI profile
Watertown, WI profile