Rapid City → Madison
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Rapid City to Madison is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.2 to 97.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $22/mo.
- +$11,380
- BLS median salary higher in Madison
- 320 to 280
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,661
- DOL infant care higher / 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
- + $11K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 8% higher cost of living
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.2 to 97.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Madison (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,173 → $1,195); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Rapid City still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Madison sits #107 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Rapid City is #230/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,380 higher ($61,147 → $72,527). Labor-market size: 68,240 tracked jobs at origin vs 399,040 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: South Dakota scores 73 (B, #7/51) vs Wisconsin at 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 70
- 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 Rapid City 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