South Bend, IN vs Austin, TX
Moving from South Bend to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Austin 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 South Bend, IN, you'd need about $107,549 in Austin, TX (+$7,549).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($126 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $19,620 | +$3,540 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $4,647 | −$87 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,675 | +$425 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,836 | −$96 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $3,600 | +$2,000 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $9,558 | +$2,536 |
| Total | $34,618 | $42,936 | +$8,318 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $204 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $134 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 38 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 36.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 0.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |