Is Bloomington cheaper than State College?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bloomington and State College metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bloomington or State College?

State College has the higher median household income — $77,110 versus $67,243 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or State College?

A paycheck stretches further in State College. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $79,690 there versus $70,720 in Bloomington.

Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or State College?

Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,153/mo versus $1,189/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bloomington vs State College

Metro-area medians — Bloomington, IN Metro Area vs State College, PA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

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

Bloomington and State College cost about the same to live in, but State College households earn about 15% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in State College.

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

State College, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$60,986

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Bloomington leaves you about $1,131/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

State College

Livability (CityLedger)

51/100

58/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

95.1

96.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,720

$79,690

Median household income

$67,243

$77,110

Median rent

$1,153/mo

$1,189/mo

Median home value

$311,100

$339,200

Unemployment

3.6%

4.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

44.6%

47.4%

Average commute

20.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

54°F

49°F

Choose Bloomington for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment

Full Bloomington profile →

Choose State College for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full State College profile →

Bloomington vs State College — frequently asked

Is Bloomington cheaper than State College?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bloomington and State College metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bloomington or State College?: State College has the higher median household income — $77,110 versus $67,243 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Bloomington or State College?: A paycheck stretches further in State College. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $79,690 there versus $70,720 in Bloomington.
Which has cheaper rent, Bloomington or State College?: Bloomington has cheaper rent — a median of $1,153/mo versus $1,189/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).