Overall
- South Bend-Mishawaka
- 92.9
- Burlington
- 93.2
Diff +0.3 RPP
South Bend-Mishawaka vs Burlington
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Burlington is 0.4% more expensive than South Bend-Mishawaka.
0.4% more expensive
Burlington, NC is 0.4% more expensive than South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.2 vs 92.9). A $100,000 salary in South Bend-Mishawaka buys about the same as $100,364 in Burlington; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.9 (South Bend-Mishawaka) vs 93.2 (Burlington)
- $100k in South Bend-Mishawaka ≈ $100,364 purchasing power in Burlington
- Rents drives the gap (+3.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IN:NC 92.9→93.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IN × NC
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
South Bend-Mishawaka
92.9
Cost Index
Burlington
93.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI and Burlington, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents leads the difference, with Burlington 3.3 points higher than South Bend-Mishawaka. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in South Bend-Mishawaka corresponds to $100,364 in Burlington.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- South Bend-Mishawaka
- 94.2
- Burlington
- 96.6
Diff +2.4 RPP
Services
- South Bend-Mishawaka
- 87.7
- Burlington
- 89.2
Diff +1.5 RPP
Rents
- South Bend-Mishawaka
- 74.6
- Burlington
- 77.9
Diff +3.3 RPP
| Category | South Bend-Mishawaka | Burlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.9 | 93.2 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 94.2 | 96.6 | +2.4 |
| Services | 87.7 | 89.2 | +1.5 |
| Rents | 74.6 | 77.9 | +3.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
South Bend-Mishawaka 92.9
Burlington 93.2
Goods
South Bend-Mishawaka 94.2
Burlington 96.6
Services
South Bend-Mishawaka 87.7
Burlington 89.2
Rents
South Bend-Mishawaka 74.6
Burlington 77.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in South Bend-Mishawaka would need to be in Burlington for the same purchasing power:
| In South Bend-Mishawaka | In Burlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,182 | +$182 |
| $75,000 | $75,273 | +$273 |
| $100,000 | $100,364 | +$364 |
| $150,000 | $150,546 | +$546 |
$ in South Bend-Mishawaka = in Burlington
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.9 → 93.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burlington more expensive than South Bend-Mishawaka?
Burlington is 0.4% more expensive than South Bend-Mishawaka. The overall cost index is 93.2 vs 92.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Burlington equals $100K in South Bend-Mishawaka?
A $100,000 salary in South Bend-Mishawaka has the same purchasing power as $100,364 in Burlington. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between South Bend-Mishawaka and Burlington?
Rents in South Bend-Mishawaka are indexed at 74.6 while Burlington is at 77.9 (national average = 100). Burlington has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.