Kansas City, MO vs South Bend, IN
Moving from Kansas City to South Bend? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($329,641 → $238,866 median home) and taxes.
Kansas City 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 Kansas City, MO, you'd need about $98,042 in South Bend, IN (−$1,958).
Livability — Kansas City, MO: 67 · South Bend, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,654 sqft in Kansas City vs 3,978 sqft in South Bend ($188 vs $126 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kansas City, MO | South Bend, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,576 | $16,080 | −$2,496 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,734 | −$94 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,250 | −$140 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,932 | +$420 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,600 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $10,526 | $7,022 | −$3,504 |
| Total | $41,232 | $34,618 | −$6,614 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kansas City, MO | South Bend, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.18% | 4.85% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.9% | 1.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $329,641 | $238,866 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 5.7% |
| Price per square foot | $188 | $126 |
| Median rent | $1,548 | $1,340 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |