Overall
92.6
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Fort Wayne, IN
Cost-of-living indicators for Fort Wayne, IN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.6
- Overall RPP
- #227
- of 387 metros
- 72.3
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
Fort Wayne ranks #227 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Knoxville
The verdict
Fort Wayne costs less than 59% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.6, 7.4% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 72.3.
- bottom 41%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 86.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,024 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,572.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index jumped 2.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Fort Wayne overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.5 |
| 2009 | 92.0 |
| 2010 | 92.6 |
| 2011 | 92.0 |
| 2012 | 92.2 |
| 2013 | 92.8 |
| 2014 | 91.8 |
| 2015 | 91.1 |
| 2016 | 92.0 |
| 2017 | 90.6 |
| 2018 | 91.6 |
| 2019 | 92.1 |
| 2020 | 89.9 |
| 2021 | 91.7 |
| 2022 | 92.4 |
| 2023 | 89.7 |
| 2024 | 92.6 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Fort Wayne's overall RPP rose +2.8 points, from 89.7 in 2023 to 92.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 61.7 to 72.3. 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:
$92,572
in Fort Wayne, IN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,286
$75,000 nationally
$69,429
$125,000 nationally
$115,715
$150,000 nationally
$138,858
$200,000 nationally
$185,144
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
63/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
63rd 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 Fort Wayne's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Fort Wayne: rents index at 72.3, 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 92.6.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Duluth, MN-WI, Manhattan, KS, Sebring, FL. They resemble Fort Wayne 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, Fort Wayne's overall index has stayed within 0.9 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.
Fort Wayne vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 41% higher than 41% 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
Fort Wayne cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
72.3 RPP
- Services
Services
86.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.3 RPP
What this shows Fort Wayne's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 72.3 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 86.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Fort Wayne's cost comes from
Metros near Fort Wayne's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne, this metro): goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 72.3
- Knoxville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 82.8
- Waco: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 83.5
- New Orleans: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86
- Kansas City: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.6
- Muskegon: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74.2
- Wausau: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 71.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.3
Below avg
Services
86.2
Cheap
Rents
72.3
Cheap
IN-relative analysis
Services prices places Fort Wayne, IN near the bottom of IN's metros
Among the 12 IN metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Fort Wayne, IN ranks #12 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Fort Wayne, IN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
8th percentile in IN
Services prices
#12 of 12
0th percentile in IN
Rent prices
#6 of 12
50th 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 Fort Wayne, 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 (92.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (72.3 here).
Other IN Metros
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 95.7 Bloomington, IN 95.1 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 93.4 Columbus, IN 93.0 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 92.9 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 Fort Wayne, IN's index of 92.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Fort Wayne'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.
Duluth, MN-WI
Goods 95.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 71.1 Manhattan, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 88.4 · Rents 72.0 Sebring, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 86.8 · Rents 73.5 Cedar Rapids, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.0 · Rents 71.4 Jacksonville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.2 · Rents 72.1 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
Goods 94.2 · Services 87.7 · Rents 74.6
Shareable data card
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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 Fort Wayne
How to read Fort Wayne'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 $108,024 in Fort Wayne. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 72.3, 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 Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne, IN?
Fort Wayne, IN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.6, meaning it is 7.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.3, services at 86.2, and rents at 72.3. It ranks #227 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Fort Wayne, IN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,572 in Fort Wayne, IN. Conversely, $100K earned in Fort Wayne, IN has the purchasing power of $108,024 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Fort Wayne, IN?
Rents in Fort Wayne, IN are indexed at 72.3, which is 27.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Fort Wayne, IN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Fort Wayne, IN's overall cost index changed by -0.9 points (from 93.5 to 92.6). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Fort Wayne, IN?
The priciest category in Fort Wayne, 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 72.3, 27.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Fort Wayne, IN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Knoxville, Waco, New Orleans-Metairie. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Fort Wayne, IN's 92.6.
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.