Is Evansville cheaper than Oshkosh?

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

Which has higher household income, Evansville or Oshkosh?

Oshkosh has the higher median household income — $71,146 versus $67,459 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Evansville or Oshkosh?

A paycheck stretches further in Oshkosh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,560 there versus $73,703 in Evansville.

Which has cheaper rent, Evansville or Oshkosh?

Rents are close — $1,007/mo in the Evansville metro versus $1,029/mo in Oshkosh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Evansville vs Oshkosh

Metro-area medians — Evansville, IN Metro Area vs Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Oshkosh comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Evansville and Oshkosh cost about the same to live in, but Oshkosh households earn about 5% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Oshkosh.

Their widest everyday difference: Oshkosh has the tighter job market — 2.2% 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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Evansville, IN

$59,064

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$64,531

real value after local prices

Oshkosh, WI

$58,454

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$62,901

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Evansville leaves you about $1,629/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

Evansville

Oshkosh

Livability (CityLedger)

47/100

55/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

91.5

92.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,703

$76,560

Median household income

$67,459

$71,146

Median rent

$1,007/mo

$1,029/mo

Median home value

$228,800

$250,200

Unemployment

4.5%

2.2%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.5%

30.9%

Average commute

20.5 min

21.3 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

57°F

46°F

Choose Evansville for

+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Evansville profile →

Choose Oshkosh for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment

Full Oshkosh profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Evansville and Oshkosh on cost, income, size, and education.

Evansville vs Erie→Evansville vs Binghamton→Evansville vs Peoria→Oshkosh vs Eau Claire→Oshkosh vs Billings→Oshkosh vs Niles→

Evansville vs Oshkosh — frequently asked

Is Evansville cheaper than Oshkosh?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Evansville and Oshkosh metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Evansville or Oshkosh?: Oshkosh has the higher median household income — $71,146 versus $67,459 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Evansville or Oshkosh?: A paycheck stretches further in Oshkosh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,560 there versus $73,703 in Evansville.
Which has cheaper rent, Evansville or Oshkosh?: Rents are close — $1,007/mo in the Evansville metro versus $1,029/mo in Oshkosh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).