Madison, WI · Updated Oct 2026

What a Madison home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Madison house

$12,145a year · $1,012 a month

Starts at $481,300 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$8,979
1.865% of $481,300
Electricity and gas$1,905
500 kWh a month $1,324 · 60 therms $581
Water and sewer$1,197
4,000 gallons a month on Madison Water Utility: water $39, sewer $40, stormwater (city-stated typical home, 2025 rates) $13, urban forestry special charge $8, landfill charge $1 a month
Trash$65
Recycling (Resource Recovery Special Charge, flat per dwelling unit), $5 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Madison house costs about $12,200 a year: $8,980 property tax and charges, $1,200 water and sewer, $60 trash, $1,910 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 30, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Low-income households: MadCAP bill credit
MadCAP provides eligible households with a monthly credit (discount) of up to $30 on your Municipal Services Bill.
How: You need to apply; households are not enrolled automatically.
One-time courtesy leak adjustment
Customers with unintentional water loss from broken plumbing may be eligible for a one-time courtesy leak adjustment.
How: See the Madison Water Utility leak adjustment page.
Seniors 65+: mortgage loan assistance
The City of Madison offers residents age 65 or older with eligible household income levels a mortgage loan assistance program.
How: See the City's property tax relief information.
Time-of-use electric rate
MGE's optional Rg-2A rate may save money if you shift significant electricity use to when demand is low. Effective January 1, 2027, MGE's time-of-use rates move to a new rate structure.
How: Rg-2A is optional to all residential customers.

Who serves this house

Water: Madison Water Utility; Current water rates went into effect on 5/1/26.
Property tax: 1.87% of value; 2025 tax year (bills paid 2026), City of Madison in Madison Metropolitan School District
Sewer: City of Madison Engineering; Sewer, stormwater, landfill and urban forestry fees are approved by the Madison Common Council.
Electricity: Madison Gas and Electric (MGE); MGE generates and distributes electricity to customers in Dane County.
Gas: Madison Gas and Electric (MGE); MGE purchases and distributes natural gas to customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties.

Pay or manage your bills

Other WI cities

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses 2025 levies from the Wisconsin DOR Statement of Taxes for the City of Madison (county, MATC, MMSD) divided by Madison's full value excluding TIF and the 97.43% assessment level; the city rate is the city's stated 0.007003.
The school rate is the MMSD levy over its full value in Madison, divided by 0.9743, minus the 2025 state school levy tax credit of 1.7285 mills; other school districts serve part of Madison.
The starting value is the City Assessor's average assessed single-family value; Wisconsin has no homestead exemption; first dollar and lottery credits are not modeled.
Water, sewer, landfill, urban forestry and resource recovery rates are from the City's current rates page; typical water use (4,000 gallons a month) is backed out of the City's stated average residential water charge of $38.81. Stormwater is the City's stated typical-home bill ($12.71 at 2025 rates) with the area-based part scaled to the 2026 impervious rate.
Electric and gas use MGE's published residential rates; the 60-therm gas figure is an annual average (720 therms a year) and winter bills run higher; gas supply varies monthly (October 2026 shown).
Stormwater uses the City-stated typical-home bill of $12.71 at 2025 rates; the 2026 schedule (base $3.05, impervious $3.592 per 1,000 sq ft) raises it slightly but no 2026 typical figure is published.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Madison compares

A typical Madison house against the 47 Wisconsin cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Madison	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.87%	1.54%	higher than 35 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover
Water	$466	$461	higher than 24 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$731	$687	higher than 25 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover
Trash	$65	$199	lower than 27 of the other 30 Wisconsin cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,905	$1,905	in the middle of 46 other Wisconsin cities we cover
Total	$12,145	$7,415	higher than 46 of the other 46 Wisconsin cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Madison's property tax rate is 1.87%, higher than 35 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Madison is 1.87%, higher than 35 of the other 45 Wisconsin cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $65 a year for the standard cart, lower than 27 of the other 30 Wisconsin cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $65 a year for the standard cart, lower than 27 of the other 30 Wisconsin cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

Common questions about Madison house costs

What is the property tax rate in Madison?

About 1.87% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (bills paid 2026), City of Madison in Madison Metropolitan School District), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Madison?

About $9,328 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Madison?

About $100 a month for water and sewer at typical use (4,000 gallons a month) on Madison Water Utility.

How much does trash pickup cost in Madison?

$5 a month for a house.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Madison?

Yes. Seniors 65+: mortgage loan assistance: The City of Madison offers residents age 65 or older with eligible household income levels a mortgage loan assistance program.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Madison?

Low-income households: MadCAP bill credit: MadCAP provides eligible households with a monthly credit (discount) of up to $30 on your Municipal Services Bill. You need to apply; households are not enrolled automatically.

How much does a house in Madison cost to run each year?

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