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CityLedger

Abilene vs Elkhart

Metro-area medians — Abilene, TX Metro Area vs Elkhart-Goshen, IN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Abilene comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Abilene and Elkhart cost about the same to live in, but Elkhart households earn about 10% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Elkhart.

Their widest everyday difference: Abilene has the tighter job market — 3.2% unemployment versus 4.5%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Abilene, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$67,852
real value after local prices
Elkhart, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$65,390
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Abilene leaves you about $2,462/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Abilene
Elkhart
Livability (CityLedger)
43/100
40/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
90.4
90.3
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$70,150
$77,356
Median household income
$63,390
$69,872
Median rent
$1,173/mo
$1,047/mo
Median home value
$190,500
$239,500
Unemployment
3.2%
4.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
26.8%
22.1%
Average commute
20.5 min
22.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
—
45
Avg temperature
66°F
50°F

Choose Abilene for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Abilene profile →

Choose Elkhart for

  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
Full Elkhart profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Abilene and Elkhart on cost, income, size, and education.

Abilene vs Bowling Green→Abilene vs Valdosta→Abilene vs Waco→Elkhart vs Longview→Elkhart vs Bowling Green→Elkhart vs Yuma→

Abilene vs Elkhart — frequently asked

Is Abilene cheaper than Elkhart?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Abilene and Elkhart metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Abilene or Elkhart?
Elkhart has the higher median household income — $69,872 versus $63,390 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Abilene or Elkhart?
A paycheck stretches further in Elkhart. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,356 there versus $70,150 in Abilene.
Which has cheaper rent, Abilene or Elkhart?
Elkhart has cheaper rent — a median of $1,047/mo versus $1,173/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).