Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington → Madison

Moving from Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington to Madison shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 102.6 to 97.3 (100 = US average), so a Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington salary needs to be multiplied by 0.95 to hold the same purchasing power in Madison. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,810/month in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington to $1,195/month in Madison - a lower 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 $74,260 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington versus $72,527 in Madison - a raw gap of $1,733 lower. The Madison labor market has 399,040 tracked jobs against 2,874,190 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington and Madison are 250 and 280 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 13.6:1 at origin versus 14.4:1 at destination. Our composite verdict - Strongly Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.