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CityLedger

Evansville vs Roanoke

Metro-area medians — Evansville, IN Metro Area vs Roanoke, VA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

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

Evansville and Roanoke cost about the same to live in, but Roanoke households earn about 8% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Roanoke.

Their widest everyday difference: Roanoke has the tighter job market — 2.6% 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.

Evansville, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$64,531
real value after local prices
Roanoke, VA
$57,747
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$61,684
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Evansville leaves you about $2,847/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
Roanoke
Livability (CityLedger)
47/100
55/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
91.5
93.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$73,703
$77,503
Median household income
$67,459
$72,557
Median rent
$1,007/mo
$1,188/mo
Median home value
$228,800
$278,000
Unemployment
4.5%
2.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
32.5%
31.8%
Average commute
20.5 min
22.2 min
Air quality (median AQI)
46
40
Avg temperature
57°F
58°F

Choose Evansville for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Evansville profile →

Choose Roanoke for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Roanoke profile →

More comparisons

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

Evansville vs Erie→Evansville vs Binghamton→Evansville vs Peoria→Roanoke vs Green Bay→Roanoke vs Billings→Roanoke vs Peoria→

Evansville vs Roanoke — frequently asked

Is Evansville cheaper than Roanoke?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Evansville and Roanoke metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Evansville or Roanoke?
Roanoke has the higher median household income — $72,557 versus $67,459 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Evansville or Roanoke?
A paycheck stretches further in Roanoke. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,503 there versus $73,703 in Evansville.
Which has cheaper rent, Evansville or Roanoke?
Evansville has cheaper rent — a median of $1,007/mo versus $1,188/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).