Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
Quick Investment Calculator
Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 4.46% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on 3.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (4.46%)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$1,279/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 2.9% < mortgage rate 6.9%)
- -High price-to-income ratio makes financing challenging
Counties in Madison, WI
Section 8 in Madison, WI: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Athens, OH Athens, OH | 70 | $188,414 | $929 | 5.92% | Buy | View | |
North Wilkesboro, NC North Wilkesboro, NC | 70 | $226,306 | $1,247 | 6.61% | Buy | View | |
Roswell, NM Roswell, NM | 70 | $175,140 | $1,326 | 9.09% | Buy | View | |
Forest City, NC Forest City, NC | 70 | $223,493 | $1,183 | 6.35% | Buy | View | |
Ardmore, OK Ardmore, OK | 70 | $182,709 | $1,221 | 8.02% | Buy | View | |
Current Madison, WI | 50 | $452,769 | $1,683 | 4.46% | Hold |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Madison, WI metro area scores 50/100, ranking #722 of 894 US metros (top 81%). The 4.46% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.