Is Elkhart cheaper than St. Cloud?

St. Cloud is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Elkhart's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Elkhart or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $69,872 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Elkhart or St. Cloud?

A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $77,356 in Elkhart.

Which has cheaper rent, Elkhart or St. Cloud?

Rents are close — $1,047/mo in the Elkhart metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Elkhart vs St. Cloud

Metro-area medians — Elkhart-Goshen, IN Metro Area vs St. Cloud, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

St. Cloud comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

St. Cloud is both cheaper to live in (about 3% less) and higher-earning (about 8% more) than Elkhart. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud.

Their widest everyday difference: St. Cloud is more educated — 28.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 22.1%.

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

Elkhart, IN

$59,064

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$65,390

real value after local prices

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, St. Cloud leaves you about $456/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

Elkhart

St. Cloud

Livability (CityLedger)

40/100

56/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.3

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$77,356

$86,370

Median household income

$69,872

$75,688

Median rent

$1,047/mo

$1,039/mo

Median home value

$239,500

$289,200

Unemployment

4.5%

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

22.1%

28.5%

Average commute

22.8 min

22 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

50°F

43°F

Choose Elkhart for

+ Median home value

Full Elkhart profile →

Choose St. Cloud for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full St. Cloud profile →

More comparisons

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

Elkhart vs Longview→Elkhart vs Bowling Green→Elkhart vs Yuma→St. Cloud vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Topeka→St. Cloud vs Hattiesburg→

Elkhart vs St. Cloud — frequently asked

Is Elkhart cheaper than St. Cloud?: St. Cloud is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Elkhart's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Elkhart or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $69,872 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Elkhart or St. Cloud?: A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $77,356 in Elkhart.
Which has cheaper rent, Elkhart or St. Cloud?: Rents are close — $1,047/mo in the Elkhart metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).