South Bend, IN vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from South Bend to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Indianapolis 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 $103,581 in Indianapolis, IN (+$3,581).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($126 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $18,636 | +$2,556 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $4,740 | +$6 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,250 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,932 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,600 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $7,367 | +$345 |
| Total | $34,618 | $37,525 | +$2,907 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $102 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 25.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |