Is Bloomington cheaper than College Station?

College Station is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Bloomington's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Bloomington or College Station?

Bloomington has the higher median household income — $67,243 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or College Station?

A paycheck stretches further in Bloomington. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,720 there versus $68,150 in College Station.

Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or College Station?

Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,153/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bloomington vs College Station

Metro-area medians — Bloomington, IN Metro Area vs College Station-Bryan, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bloomington comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

College Station is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Bloomington households earn about 8% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Bloomington.

Their widest everyday difference: Bloomington has the tighter job market — 3.6% unemployment versus 4.7%.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bloomington, IN

$59,064

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$62,117

real value after local prices

College Station, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$67,414

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, College Station leaves you about $5,297/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

Bloomington

College Station

Livability (CityLedger)

51/100

44/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

95.1

91.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,720

$68,150

Median household income

$67,243

$61,983

Median rent

$1,153/mo

$1,195/mo

Median home value

$311,100

$301,800

Unemployment

3.6%

4.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

44.6%

42.5%

Average commute

20.9 min

19.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

54°F

69°F

Choose Bloomington for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Bloomington profile →

Choose College Station for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median home value
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full College Station profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Bloomington and College Station on cost, income, size, and education.

Bloomington vs State College→Bloomington vs Kalamazoo→Bloomington vs Champaign→College Station vs Champaign→College Station vs Lafayette→College Station vs Lincoln→

Bloomington vs College Station — frequently asked

Is Bloomington cheaper than College Station?: College Station is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Bloomington's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Bloomington or College Station?: Bloomington has the higher median household income — $67,243 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or College Station?: A paycheck stretches further in Bloomington. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,720 there versus $68,150 in College Station.
Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or College Station?: Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,153/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).