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CityLedger

Evansville vs South Bend

Metro-area medians — Evansville, IN Metro Area vs South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Evansville comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Evansville and South Bend cost about the same to live in, but Evansville households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Evansville.

Their widest everyday difference: Evansville has the tighter job market — 4.5% unemployment versus 6.1%.

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.

Evansville, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$64,531
real value after local prices
South Bend, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$63,606
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Evansville leaves you about $924/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
South Bend
Livability (CityLedger)
47/100
33/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
91.5
92.9
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$73,703
$68,808
Median household income
$67,459
$63,894
Median rent
$1,007/mo
$1,101/mo
Median home value
$228,800
$216,500
Unemployment
4.5%
6.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
32.5%
31.1%
Average commute
20.5 min
21.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
46
45
Avg temperature
57°F
49°F

Choose Evansville for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Evansville profile →

Choose South Bend for

  • + Median home value
Full South Bend profile →

More comparisons

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

Evansville vs Erie→Evansville vs Binghamton→Evansville vs Peoria→South Bend vs Amarillo→South Bend vs Waco→South Bend vs Fort Wayne→

Evansville vs South Bend — frequently asked

Is Evansville cheaper than South Bend?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Evansville and South Bend metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Evansville or South Bend?
Evansville has the higher median household income — $67,459 versus $63,894 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Evansville or South Bend?
A paycheck stretches further in Evansville. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $73,703 there versus $68,808 in South Bend.
Which has cheaper rent, Evansville or South Bend?
Evansville has cheaper rent — a median of $1,007/mo versus $1,101/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).