Overall
95.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Bloomington, IN
Cost-of-living indicators for Bloomington, IN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.1
- Overall RPP
- #167
- of 387 metros
- 85.6
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Bloomington ranks #167 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to St. Louis
The verdict
Bloomington costs less than 43% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.1, 4.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 85.6.
- bottom 57%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 86.5
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $105,170 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,084.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 2.3 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Bloomington overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 94.3 |
| 2009 | 96.5 |
| 2010 | 94.9 |
| 2011 | 95.4 |
| 2012 | 94.2 |
| 2013 | 94.1 |
| 2014 | 94.9 |
| 2015 | 94.3 |
| 2016 | 95.4 |
| 2017 | 93.7 |
| 2018 | 93.8 |
| 2019 | 94.6 |
| 2020 | 93.4 |
| 2021 | 94.0 |
| 2022 | 93.0 |
| 2023 | 93.4 |
| 2024 | 95.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Bloomington's overall RPP rose +1.7 points, from 93.4 in 2023 to 95.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 81.2 to 85.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,084
in Bloomington, IN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,542
$75,000 nationally
$71,313
$125,000 nationally
$118,855
$150,000 nationally
$142,626
$200,000 nationally
$190,168
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
41/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
41st percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Bloomington's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Bloomington: rents index at 85.6, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 95.1.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Ocala, FL, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Kansas City, MO-KS. They resemble Bloomington across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Bloomington's overall index has stayed within 0.8 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Bloomington vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
95 Top 43% higher than 57% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Bloomington cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
85.6 RPP
- Services
Services
86.5 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.3 RPP
What this shows Bloomington's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 85.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 86.5. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Bloomington's cost comes from
Metros near Bloomington's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Bloomington (Bloomington, this metro): goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 85.6
- St. Louis: goods RPP 100, rents RPP 79
- Pittsfield: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 73.5
- El Centro: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 66.3
- Lansing: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 83.5
- Savannah: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 86
- Ocala: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 86.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.3
Below avg
Services
86.5
Cheap
Rents
85.6
Cheap
IN-relative analysis
Goods prices places Bloomington, IN near the bottom of IN's metros
Among the 12 IN metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Bloomington, IN ranks #1 - the 8th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Bloomington, IN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
8th percentile in IN
Services prices
#5 of 12
58th percentile in IN
Rent prices
#2 of 12
83rd percentile in IN
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within IN only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Bloomington, IN: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (95.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (85.6 here).
Other IN Metros
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 95.7 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 93.4 Columbus, IN 93.0 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 92.9 Fort Wayne, IN 92.6 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 91.7
View all IN metros → Cheapest in IN → Most expensive in IN →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Bloomington, IN's index of 95.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Bloomington's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Ocala, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.1 · Rents 86.2 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.6 · Rents 84.7 Kansas City, MO-KS
Goods 94.1 · Services 89.0 · Rents 86.6 Savannah, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.6 · Rents 86.0 Iowa City, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 83.7 · Rents 84.0 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 88.9
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Bloomington
How to read Bloomington's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $105,170 in Bloomington. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 85.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Bloomington head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Bloomington, IN?
Bloomington, IN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.1, meaning it is 4.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.3, services at 86.5, and rents at 85.6. It ranks #167 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Bloomington, IN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,084 in Bloomington, IN. Conversely, $100K earned in Bloomington, IN has the purchasing power of $105,170 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Bloomington, IN?
Rents in Bloomington, IN are indexed at 85.6, which is 14.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Bloomington, IN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Bloomington, IN's overall cost index changed by +0.8 points (from 94.3 to 95.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Bloomington, IN?
The priciest category in Bloomington, IN is goods at 94.3, 5.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 85.6, 14.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Bloomington, IN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include St. Louis, Pittsfield, El Centro. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Bloomington, IN's 95.1.
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.