Rent vs Buy in Madison, WI: Should You Rent or Buy a Home?
In Madison, WI, the median home is worth $372,900 and a typical 3-bedroom rental costs $1,795 a month. With the latest 7.24% average mortgage rate (2026-10-29), renting and investing the difference comes out ahead after 20 years by $168,374 ($102,754 in today's dollars). Buying doesn't catch up within 30 years at today's rate; at 6%, buying doesn't catch up within 30 years; at 5%, buying pulls ahead after 12 years.
Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 · Mortgage rate 7.24% (Freddie Mac, 2026-10-29) · Updated 2026-11-01 · How we calculate
Calculator
Start typing a county, city or ZIP code, then pick it from the list.
Using local Census figures for Madison, WI.
$74,600
30-yr avg 7.24% on 2026-10-29
$6,371 a year
Fine-tune assumptions (growth, inflation, costs, taxes)
After 20 years in Madison, WI
Renting comes out ahead by $168,374
$102,754 in today's dollars. At these numbers buying doesn't catch up within 30 years. Buying wins over 20 years if comparable rent is above $2,095/mo (you entered $1,795).
If you buy
- Home value
- $742,191
- Mortgage still owed
- −$173,294
- Selling costs
- −$44,531
- Tax on home sale
- −$9,520
- You walk away with
- $514,845
If you rent and invest
- Cash not spent on buying
- $85,790
- Monthly savings invested
- $233,806
- Growth at 6.0%, after tax
- +$363,623
- You walk away with
- $683,219
Both cards are in year-20 dollars.
Monthly cost in year 1
- Mortgage (principal + interest)
- $2,034
- Property tax
- $531
- Home insurance
- $218
- Maintenance
- $311
Principal isn't really a cost — it becomes equity. The comparison that matters is the money you never get back, below.
What your numbers mean
In the first year, owning costs about $3,093 a month: $2,034 mortgage payment, $531 property tax, $218 insurance, $311 upkeep. Renting a comparable home costs $1,795. So the renter has $1,298 a month left over, and invests it — on top of the $85,790 down payment and closing costs they never had to spend.
Rent rises 3.5% a year, so within 20 years it never catches up with the cost of owning (taxes, insurance and upkeep grow with the home's value too).
After 20 years the home is worth $742,191 (growing 3.5% a year from $373,000). You still owe $173,294 on the mortgage and pay about $44,531 to sell plus $9,520 capital gains tax, leaving $514,845 in equity.
The renter's investments, earning 6.0% a year, grow to $683,219 after 15% tax on the gains. That only happens if the money really is invested every month — renting and spending the difference makes buying the better choice almost everywhere.
Renting leaves you $168,374 richer after 20 years. With inflation at 2.5% a year, a dollar then buys what 61 cents buys today, so the gap is worth $102,754 in today's money.
The result holds up: none of the alternative scenarios below (faster or slower price growth, a lower rate, different investment returns) changes which option wins.
Total cost over 20 years
| Where the money goes | Amount |
|---|---|
| Down paymentequity | $74,600 |
| Mortgage principalequity | $125,106 |
| Closing costs | $11,190 |
| Mortgage interest | $362,956 |
| Property tax | $180,165 |
| Insurance | $73,838 |
| Maintenance | $105,483 |
| Selling costs | $44,531 |
| Total paid to buy and own | $977,870 |
| Money you never get back | $787,684 |
| Rent | $609,144 |
| Renter's insurance | $4,598 |
| Money you never get back renting | $613,742 |
“Equity” rows are savings locked in the home, not costs. Figures are in future (nominal) dollars.
What would change the answer?
Nobody knows future home prices, rents or market returns. Each row below reruns your exact numbers with just one thing changed, so you can see which assumptions matter. Rows marked “Answer flips” change the winner.
| What if… | Who comes out ahead, and by how much |
|---|---|
| Nothing changes — your numbers, staying 20 years | Renting ahead by $168,374 |
| Home prices grow 2% a year instead of 3.5% | Renting ahead by $265,050 |
| Home prices grow 5% a year instead of 3.5% | Renting ahead by $54,009 |
| Your mortgage rate is 6.24% instead of 7.24% | Renting ahead by $75,077 |
| Investments earn 4% a year instead of 6% | Renting ahead by $8,395 |
| Investments earn 8% a year instead of 6% | Renting ahead by $386,277 |
| Rent rises 4.5% a year instead of 3.5% | Renting ahead by $76,870 |
| You stay 15 years instead of 20 | Renting ahead by $121,315 |
| You stay 25 years instead of 20 | Renting ahead by $230,935 |
Year-by-year breakdown
| Year | Home value | Loan balance | Owning / yr | Rent / mo | Net worth (buy) | Net worth (rent) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $386,055 | $295,506 | $37,115 | $1,795 | $67,385 | $105,916 | −$38,531 |
| 2 | $399,567 | $292,396 | $37,560 | $1,858 | $83,197 | $126,791 | −$43,594 |
| 3 | $413,552 | $289,053 | $38,020 | $1,923 | $99,686 | $148,450 | −$48,765 |
| 4 | $428,026 | $285,460 | $38,497 | $1,990 | $116,885 | $170,933 | −$54,048 |
| 5 | $443,007 | $281,597 | $38,990 | $2,060 | $134,829 | $194,279 | −$59,450 |
| 6 | $458,512 | $277,446 | $39,501 | $2,132 | $153,556 | $218,532 | −$64,976 |
| 7 | $474,560 | $272,984 | $40,029 | $2,207 | $173,103 | $243,736 | −$70,633 |
| 8 | $491,170 | $268,188 | $40,576 | $2,284 | $193,512 | $269,938 | −$76,425 |
| 9 | $508,361 | $263,032 | $41,142 | $2,364 | $214,827 | $297,187 | −$82,361 |
| 10 | $526,153 | $257,491 | $41,728 | $2,446 | $237,093 | $325,537 | −$88,444 |
| 11 | $544,569 | $251,536 | $42,334 | $2,532 | $260,359 | $355,042 | −$94,683 |
| 12 | $563,629 | $245,134 | $42,962 | $2,621 | $284,677 | $385,760 | −$101,083 |
| 13 | $583,356 | $238,253 | $43,612 | $2,712 | $310,101 | $417,751 | −$107,650 |
| 14 | $603,773 | $230,858 | $44,284 | $2,807 | $336,689 | $451,081 | −$114,392 |
| 15 | $624,905 | $222,908 | $44,980 | $2,906 | $364,503 | $485,817 | −$121,315 |
| 16 | $646,777 | $214,364 | $45,700 | $3,007 | $393,606 | $522,030 | −$128,424 |
| 17 | $669,414 | $205,180 | $46,445 | $3,113 | $424,069 | $559,796 | −$135,727 |
| 18 | $692,843 | $195,309 | $47,217 | $3,221 | $453,402 | $599,193 | −$145,791 |
| 19 | $717,093 | $184,698 | $48,015 | $3,334 | $483,387 | $640,305 | −$156,917 |
| 20 | $742,191 | $173,294 | $48,842 | $3,451 | $514,845 | $683,219 | −$168,374 |
| 21 | $768,168 | $161,036 | $49,697 | $3,572 | $547,859 | $728,029 | −$180,170 |
| 22 | $795,054 | $147,860 | $50,582 | $3,697 | $582,516 | $774,832 | −$192,316 |
| 23 | $822,881 | $133,698 | $51,499 | $3,826 | $618,912 | $823,732 | −$204,820 |
| 24 | $851,682 | $118,477 | $52,447 | $3,960 | $657,145 | $874,836 | −$217,690 |
| 25 | $881,490 | $102,115 | $53,428 | $4,099 | $697,324 | $928,259 | −$230,935 |
| 26 | $912,343 | $84,530 | $54,444 | $4,242 | $739,561 | $984,122 | −$244,562 |
| 27 | $944,275 | $65,627 | $55,496 | $4,390 | $783,977 | $1,042,553 | −$258,576 |
| 28 | $977,324 | $45,310 | $56,584 | $4,544 | $830,700 | $1,103,685 | −$272,985 |
| 29 | $1,011,530 | $23,472 | $57,710 | $4,703 | $879,869 | $1,167,660 | −$287,791 |
| 30 | $1,046,934 | $0 | $58,876 | $4,868 | $931,629 | $1,234,629 | −$303,000 |
Difference is positive when buying is ahead. Each row assumes you sell at the end of that year.
Renting vs buying in Madison, WI: the local numbers
Median home value
$372,900
Median rent, 3-bedroom
$1,795
Price-to-rent ratio
17.3
is balanced
Property tax rate
1.71%
The typical owner-occupied home in Madison, WI is worth $372,900, and the median rent for a 3-bedroom rental is $1,795 a month including utilities. That's a price-to-rent ratio of 17.3 — the home costs 17.3 years of rent — compared with 17.2 across Wisconsin and 17.5 nationally. By that rule of thumb the local market is balanced.
Between the 2015–2019 and 2020–2024 Census surveys, home values here rose 46% and median rent rose 26% — prices have outrun rents, which makes buying relatively more expensive than it used to be. Recent growth is not a forecast: the calculator uses long-run averages by default, and you can change them.
Homeowners pay an effective property tax rate of 1.71%, well above the 0.94% national rate — about $6,369 a year on the median home. Property tax is money a renter never pays directly, so high-tax areas need more appreciation for buying to pay off.
The median household earns $78,050, so the median home costs 4.8× a year's income (4.1× nationally), and 46% of households own their home. Renters spend a median 30% of income on rent.
| Compared with | Madison | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $372,900 | $266,500 | $332,700 |
| Median rent, all rentals | $1,413 | $1,087 | $1,413 |
| Median rent, 2 bedrooms | $1,472 | $1,106 | $1,407 |
| Median rent, 3 bedrooms | $1,795 | $1,290 | $1,584 |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 17.3 | 17.2 | 17.5 |
| Effective property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.32% | 0.94% |
| Median household income | $78,050 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Home value ÷ income | 4.8× | 3.4× | 4.1× |
| Homeownership rate | 46% | 68% | 65% |
| Home value change, 5 yrs | +46% | +42% | +47% |
| Rent change, 5 yrs | +26% | +27% | +33% |
Compare nearby:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024; 5-year changes vs 2015–2019). Home values are owners' estimates; rents include utilities and reflect all current renters, so new leases are often higher.
How the mortgage rate changes the answer in Madison
The same $373,000 home and $1,795 rent, 20% ($74,600) down, staying 20 years, with prices and rents growing 3.5% a year and investments earning 6%. Only the rate changes; adjust any of these in the calculator above.
| Mortgage rate | After 20 years | Break-even |
|---|---|---|
| 7.24% (latest average) | Renting ahead by $168,374 | Buying doesn't catch up within 30 years |
| 6% | Renting ahead by $53,175 | Buying doesn't catch up within 30 years |
| 5% | Buying ahead by $35,828 | Buying pulls ahead after 12 years |
Over the last five years of Census surveys (2015–2019 to 2020–2024), Madison's median home value rose 46% and median rent rose 26%, against 42% and 27% across Wisconsin.
Madison compared with similar cities
The 5 cities whose price-to-rent ratio is closest to Madison's (17.3), run with the same assumptions.
| City | Median home value | Rent | Price-to-rent | Property tax | After 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison, WI | $372,900 | $1,795 | 17.3 | 1.71% | Renting by $168k |
| Providence, RI | $362,200 | $1,745 | 17.3 | 1.09% | Renting by $56k |
| Anchorage, AK | $395,900 | $1,915 | 17.2 | 1.17% | Renting by $77k |
| Mesa, AZ | $408,000 | $1,948 | 17.5 | 0.45% | Buying by $43k |
| Chicago, IL | $334,100 | $1,623 | 17.2 | 1.45% | Renting by $97k |
| Bakersfield, CA | $371,700 | $1,755 | 17.6 | 0.95% | Renting by $56k |
| Wisconsin (state) | $266,500 | $1,290 | 17.2 | 1.32% | Balanced |
Other Wisconsin cities: Milwaukee.
Renting vs buying in Madison: common questions
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Madison, WI?
With typical local prices and rents and a 7.24% mortgage, renting and investing the difference leaves you $168,374 better off after 20 years. In year one, owning the median home costs about $3,093 a month against $1,795 in rent, but the answer depends mostly on how long you stay.
How long do you need to stay in Madison for buying to pay off?
Buying doesn't catch up within 30 years at today's rate; at 6%, buying doesn't catch up within 30 years; at 5%, buying pulls ahead after 12 years. On the median Madison home, buying costs about $11,190 in closing costs and selling about $22,374 at today's price, and price growth and loan paydown have to earn that back before buying comes out ahead.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Madison?
17.3: the median home costs 17.3 years of median 3-bedroom rent, compared with 17.2 across Wisconsin and 17.5 nationally. By the usual rule of thumb (under 15 favors buying, over 20 favors renting) the Madison market is balanced.
How high are property taxes in Madison?
Homeowners pay an effective 1.71% of their home's value a year, well above the 0.94% national rate. On the $372,900 median home that's about $6,369 a year, a cost renters don't pay directly.