Madison Ranks High for Home News | February 17, 2025 | 0 | by Morgan McCarthy Madison is the second-best US state capital to live in, according to a new study. WalletHub compares capital cities based on metrics like cost of living, crime rates, and quality of K-12 schools. Madison is only beat out by Austin, Texas, at number one. Raleigh, North Carolina, Boise [[ BOY-see ]], Idaho, and Atlanta, Georgia, round out the top five.