Madison → Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

Moving from Madison to Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 97.3 to 102.6 (100 = US average), so a Madison salary needs to be multiplied by 1.05 to hold the same purchasing power in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,195/month in Madison to $1,810/month in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington - a higher monthly bill of $615, or $7,380/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $72,527 in Madison versus $74,260 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington - a raw gap of $1,733 higher. The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington labor market has 2,874,190 tracked jobs against 399,040 in Madison, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Madison and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington are 280 and 250 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.4:1 at origin versus 13.6:1 at destination. Our composite verdict - Unfavorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.