Columbus, OH vs South Bend, IN
Moving from Columbus to South Bend? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $238,866 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs South Bend at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Columbus, OH, you'd need about $96,563 in South Bend, IN (−$3,437).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · South Bend, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 3,978 sqft in South Bend ($202 vs $126 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | South Bend, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $16,080 | −$2,208 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,734 | +$28 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,250 | +$225 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,932 | −$168 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,600 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $7,022 | −$2,689 |
| Total | $39,130 | $34,618 | −$4,512 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | South Bend, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 4.85% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 1.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $238,866 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $126 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,340 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |