South Bend, IN vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from South Bend to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs St. Louis 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 $103,934 in St. Louis, MO (+$3,934).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($126 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $17,412 | +$1,332 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $4,934 | +$201 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,390 | +$140 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,512 | −$420 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,400 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $10,488 | +$3,466 |
| Total | $34,618 | $40,136 | +$5,519 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |