South Bend, IN vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from South Bend to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Philadelphia 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 $112,021 in Philadelphia, PA (+$12,021).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($126 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $22,968 | +$6,888 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $4,909 | +$175 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,440 | +$190 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $2,316 | +$384 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,200 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $10,192 | +$3,170 |
| Total | $34,618 | $45,025 | +$10,407 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |