Which city is better to live in for someone starting out fresh, Madison, WI. or Minneapolis, MN?

My son lived in Minneapolis for 2 years and my daughter lives in Madison. The cost of living is so much higher in Minneapolis, but what really got him to seek a transfer back to Wisconsin was the one hour commute both ways every day. And it was much longer if the weather was bad or there was road construction or an accident. There were no "reasonable" places to rent near his job or if they were they were wrecks. Try Madison, there are even "more reasonable" suburbs 30 minutes or less from Madison.