South Bend, IN vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from South Bend to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Charlotte 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 $106,506 in Charlotte, NC (+$6,506).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($126 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $20,880 | +$4,800 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $4,834 | +$100 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,130 | −$120 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,752 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,000 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $8,740 | +$1,718 |
| Total | $34,618 | $41,336 | +$6,718 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $78 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 3.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 62% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |