Overall
92.9
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
Cost-of-living indicators for South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.9
- Overall RPP
- #215
- of 387 metros
- 74.6
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
South Bend ranks #215 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Binghamton
The verdict
South Bend costs less than 56% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.9, 7.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 74.6.
- bottom 44%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,691 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,858.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index jumped 3.3 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
South Bend overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.4 |
| 2009 | 93.3 |
| 2010 | 92.9 |
| 2011 | 92.2 |
| 2012 | 90.4 |
| 2013 | 92.3 |
| 2014 | 92.0 |
| 2015 | 90.5 |
| 2016 | 91.4 |
| 2017 | 88.6 |
| 2018 | 91.9 |
| 2019 | 92.1 |
| 2020 | 91.5 |
| 2021 | 91.7 |
| 2022 | 92.3 |
| 2023 | 91.4 |
| 2024 | 92.9 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
South Bend's overall RPP rose +1.5 points, from 91.4 in 2023 to 92.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 71.5 to 74.6. 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:
$92,858
in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,429
$75,000 nationally
$69,644
$125,000 nationally
$116,073
$150,000 nationally
$139,287
$200,000 nationally
$185,716
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
58/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
58th 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 South Bend's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in South Bend: rents index at 74.6, 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 92.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Columbus, IN, Bloomington, IL, Yuma, AZ. They resemble South Bend 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, South Bend's overall index has stayed within 0.4 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.
South Bend vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 44% higher than 44% 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
South Bend cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
74.6 RPP
- Services
Services
87.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.2 RPP
What this shows South Bend's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 74.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where South Bend's cost comes from
Metros near South Bend's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- South Bend (South Bend, this metro): goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 74.6
- Binghamton: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 69.7
- Greensboro: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 74.5
- Lexington: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 77.1
- Eau Claire: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 72.9
- Oshkosh: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 74.4
- Springfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 71.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.2
Below avg
Services
87.7
Cheap
Rents
74.6
Cheap
IN-relative analysis
Goods prices places South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI near the bottom of IN's metros
Among the 12 IN metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI ranks #12 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#12 of 12
0th percentile in IN
Services prices
#1 of 12
92nd percentile in IN
Rent prices
#5 of 12
58th 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI: 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 (92.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (74.6 here).
Other IN Metros
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 95.7 Bloomington, IN 95.1 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 93.4 Columbus, IN 93.0 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI's index of 92.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to South Bend'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.
Columbus, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.6 · Rents 75.5 Bloomington, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 89.6 · Rents 74.7 Yuma, AZ
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.8 · Rents 73.8 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 76.4 Green Bay, WI
Goods 93.8 · Services 90.0 · Rents 74.7 Sebring, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 86.8 · Rents 73.5
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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 South Bend
How to read South Bend'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 $107,691 in South Bend. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 74.6, 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 South Bend 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI?
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.9, meaning it is 7.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.2, services at 87.7, and rents at 74.6. It ranks #215 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,858 in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI. Conversely, $100K earned in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI has the purchasing power of $107,691 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI?
Rents in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI are indexed at 74.6, which is 25.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI's overall cost index changed by +0.4 points (from 92.4 to 92.9). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI?
The priciest category in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI is goods at 94.2, 5.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 74.6, 25.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Binghamton, Greensboro-High Point, Lexington-Fayette. These areas have RPP values within a few points of South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI's 92.9.
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.