South Bend, IN vs Seattle, WA
Moving from South Bend to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Seattle 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 $123,368 in Seattle, WA (+$23,368).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($126 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $26,784 | +$10,704 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $5,405 | +$672 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $4,075 | +$825 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,548 | −$384 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,500 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $8,826 | +$1,804 |
| Total | $34,618 | $48,138 | +$13,521 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |