Missoula → Madison
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Missoula to Madison is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.4 to 97.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $166/mo.
- +$9,395
- BLS median salary higher in Madison
- 426 to 280
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $210
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Madison
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $166/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $9K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.4 to 97.3 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $166/mo ($1,992/yr) from $1,361 in Missoula to $1,195 in Madison.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Madison sits #107 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Missoula is #285/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,395 higher ($63,132 → $72,527). Labor-market size: 60,010 tracked jobs at origin vs 399,040 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Montana 53 (D, #38/51) vs Wisconsin 57 (D, #32/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Missoula to see what you'd need to earn in Madison to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026