South Bend, IN vs San Juan, PR
Moving from South Bend to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs San Juan 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 $109,436 in San Juan, PR (+$9,436).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($126 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $18,000 | +$1,920 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $5,000 | +$266 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $2,960 | −$290 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,728 | −$204 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,200 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $37,720 | +$30,698 |
| Total | $34,618 | $66,608 | +$31,990 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |