What is the cost of living in South Bend-Mishawaka?

South Bend-Mishawaka has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 74.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,292/month.

What is the median salary in South Bend-Mishawaka?

The median salary in South Bend-Mishawaka is $62,165 annually (mean: $65,268). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.

How safe is South Bend-Mishawaka?

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

What are the schools like in South Bend-Mishawaka?

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 South Bend-Mishawaka?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for South Bend-Mishawaka.

Is South Bend-Mishawaka a good place to relocate?

South Bend-Mishawaka has a Life Score of 47.6/100 (D), 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 South Bend-Mishawaka sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, South Bend-Mishawaka ranks #215 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

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

LiveAbility 50/100 places South Bend-Mishawaka #215 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,292
2BR rent / mo: $62,165
Median salary: 50
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, South Bend-Mishawaka ranks #215 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (50/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and cost of living.

#215
of 387 US metros · Near median: 6,924,275
metro-area population: 308
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,865
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (40/100). 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), South Bend-Mishawaka ranks #215 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,292/mo, median salary $62,165; LiveAbility Score 50/100, strongest in low hazard and cost of living.

Signature: LiveAbility 50/100 places South Bend-Mishawaka #215 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.9 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,292/mo.

LiveAbility 50/100 keeps South Bend-Mishawaka in the middle third (#215 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the South Bend-Mishawaka area is 125,610.

South Bend-Mishawaka 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)

50 Top 56% higher than 44% 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

South Bend-Mishawaka housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the South Bend-Mishawaka MSA; housing RPP 74.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,292/mo.

Studio

$898

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,105

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,292

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,567

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,711

/month

South Bend-Mishawaka wages and employment

South Bend-Mishawaka posts 125,610 total employment with median salary $62,165.

Median Salary

$62,165

Mean Salary

$65,268

Total Employment

125,610

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,140
Retail Salespersons	$30,930
Registered Nurses	$93,540
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,790
Cashiers	$28,970

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the South Bend-Mishawaka area from NCES.

Schools

1,865

Enrollment

1,033,761

Student:Teacher

15.9:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

South Bend-Mishawaka's composite Life Score is 47.6/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

55/100

Above average

Wages

46/100

Average

Rent

51/100

Average

Crime

48/100

Average

Schools

57/100

Above average

Environment

18/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

South Bend-Mishawaka ranks #215 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 50/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (72/100)

Low hazard

72
Cost of living

55
Housing

51
Safety

48
Job market

46
Schools

43
Climate

41
Air quality

40

What this shows South Bend-Mishawaka's strongest dimensions are low hazard and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 40/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare South Bend-Mishawaka to

Lawrence Lawton Lebanon Lewiston-Auburn Lewiston Lexington-Fayette

Metros near South Bend-Mishawaka on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to South Bend-Mishawaka 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

South Bend-Mishawaka cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; South Bend-Mishawaka 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 South Bend-Mishawaka?

South Bend-Mishawaka runs a $62,165 median salary at a 92.9 cost index, ranking #215 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what South Bend-Mishawaka's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put South Bend-Mishawaka head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare South Bend-Mishawaka
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.