City comparison
Green Bay, WI is about 125 miles (200 km) from Madison, WI in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 150 miles, or about 2 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Green Bay, WI to Madison, WI takes about 15 min, covering roughly 125 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Madison has a population of 268,516, vs 106,846 in Green Bay — about 2.5× larger by population. By land area, Madison covers about 84 sq mi vs 45 sq mi for Green Bay.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Green Bay | Madison | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $864/mo | $1,291/mo | 49.4% higher in Madison |
| Median home value | $172,700 | $326,600 | 89.1% higher in Madison |
| Median household income | $59,174 | $74,895 | 26.6% higher in Madison |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 90.2 | 90.0 | ≈ equal (Green Bay slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 99.2 | 99.2 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 99.4 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Green Bay, you'd need $112,539 in Madison to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Green Bay, WI is about 11.1% cheaper overall than Madison, WI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in Madison than in Green Bay. If you earn $80,000 in Green Bay, you'd need about $90,031 in Madison to keep the same standard of living.