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CityLedger

Roanoke vs South Bend

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

Roanoke comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Roanoke and South Bend cost about the same to live in, but Roanoke households earn about 14% 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 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.

Roanoke, VA
$57,747
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$61,684
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, South Bend leaves you about $1,922/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
Roanoke
South Bend
Livability (CityLedger)
55/100
33/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
93.6
92.9
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$77,503
$68,808
Median household income
$72,557
$63,894
Median rent
$1,188/mo
$1,101/mo
Median home value
$278,000
$216,500
Unemployment
2.6%
6.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.8%
31.1%
Average commute
22.2 min
21.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
40
45
Avg temperature
58°F
49°F

Choose Roanoke for

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

Choose South Bend for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full South Bend profile →

More comparisons

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

Roanoke vs Green Bay→Roanoke vs Billings→Roanoke vs Peoria→South Bend vs Amarillo→South Bend vs Waco→South Bend vs Fort Wayne→

Roanoke vs South Bend — frequently asked

Is Roanoke cheaper than South Bend?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Roanoke and South Bend metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Roanoke or South Bend?
Roanoke has the higher median household income — $72,557 versus $63,894 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 14% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Roanoke or South Bend?
A paycheck stretches further in Roanoke. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,503 there versus $68,808 in South Bend.
Which has cheaper rent, Roanoke or South Bend?
South Bend has cheaper rent — a median of $1,101/mo versus $1,188/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).