What is the cost of living in Muncie?

Muncie has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 57.5, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,043/month.

What is the median salary in Muncie?

The median salary in Muncie is $58,609 annually (mean: $61,812). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.

The violent crime rate in the Muncie area is 308 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1321 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Muncie?

The state of IN has 1,865 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.9:1. Charter schools make up 6.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Muncie?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Muncie.

Is Muncie a good place to relocate?

Muncie has a Life Score of 55.8/100 (C-), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Muncie sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Muncie ranks #75 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Muncie, IN

BEA RPP 88.1 ranks #56 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

88.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,043
2BR rent / mo: $58,609
Median salary: 58.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Muncie ranks #75 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (58.7/100), with its strongest marks in housing and cost of living.

#75
of 387 US metros · Above median: 6,924,275
metro-area population: 308
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,865
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (25/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Muncie ranks #75 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 88.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,043/mo, median salary $58,609; LiveAbility Score 58.7/100, strongest in housing and cost of living.

Signature: BEA RPP 88.1 ranks #56 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 88.1 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,043/mo.

LiveAbility 58.7/100 puts Muncie in the top third (#75 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Muncie area is 37,700.

Muncie vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

59 Top 20% higher than 80% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Muncie housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Muncie MSA; housing RPP 57.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,043/mo.

Studio

$803

/month

1 Bedroom

$845

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,043

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,349

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,685

/month

Muncie wages and employment

Muncie posts 37,700 total employment with median salary $58,609 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$58,609

Mean Salary

$61,812

Total Employment

37,700

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,560
Retail Salespersons	$31,060
Cashiers	$28,660
Registered Nurses	$79,500
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	$37,900

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Muncie area from NCES.

Schools

1,865

Enrollment

1,033,761

Student:Teacher

15.9:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Muncie's composite Life Score is 55.8/100 (C-), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

86/100

Elite

Wages

25/100

Weak

Rent

89/100

Elite

Crime

49/100

Average

Schools

57/100

Above average

Environment

18/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Muncie ranks #75 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 58.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Housing (89/100)

Housing

89
Cost of living

86
Low hazard

73
Safety

49
Air quality

47
Schools

43
Climate

40
Job market

25

What this shows Muncie's strongest dimensions are housing and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 25/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Muncie to

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Oshkosh-Neenah Owensboro Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Paducah Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville

Metros near Muncie on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Muncie on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Muncie cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Muncie wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Muncie?

Muncie runs a $58,609 median salary at a 88.1 cost index, ranking #75 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Muncie's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Muncie head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Muncie
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.