South Bend, IN vs Chicago, IL
Moving from South Bend to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Chicago 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 $112,156 in Chicago, IL (+$12,156).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($126 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $27,192 | +$11,112 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $5,215 | +$482 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,550 | +$300 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $2,208 | +$276 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,900 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $14,141 | +$7,119 |
| Total | $34,618 | $54,206 | +$19,589 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |