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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in Indiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Evansville stands out at 85 on the index, with rent of $1,010/month and household income of $52,251. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (we double-checked this one).
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in Indiana beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Evansville stands out at 85 on the index, with rent of $1,010/month and household income of $52,251. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (we double-checked this one).
What does daily life actually cost in Evansville? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 63) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 88) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $52,251 — we had to double-check this one — and homes at $194,790 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Bottom line: Evansville leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Evansville — cost index 85, rent $1,010/mo, income $52,251
Evansville rent up 6% over the past year
3 of 3 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
115,332 residents · Indiana
Why Evansville ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 85 on the cost index, residents save roughly 27% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,010/month while the median household pulls in $52,251/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 63, though Healthcare (88) lags behind. Home prices average $194,790 — $272,580 below the national median.
269,994 residents · Indiana
A closer look at Fort Wayne: the cost index of 90 breaks down to a Housing index of 74 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 92 (weakest). Median rent is $1,160/month — 39% below the national median — while household income sits at $60,293, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
879,293 residents · Indiana
Look, Here's Indianapolis by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,356/month. Income: $62,995/year. Home price: $226,528. Population: 879,293. The strongest category is Housing at 80; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,468 per year vs. the national median. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evansville | 85 | $1,010 | Details |
| 2 | Fort Wayne | 90 | $1,160 | Details |
| 3 | Indianapolis | 92 | $1,356 | Details |
Cities are ranked by overall cost of living index in ascending order. This index weights housing (Zillow ZORI rent data) most heavily, with food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare sub-indices providing a composite picture. A score of 80 means overall costs are 20% below the national median. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Evansville ranks #1 in Indiana for this analysis with a cost index of 85 and median income of $52,251.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Evansville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,010/mo, while Indianapolis (ranked #3) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,356/mo — a 7-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Evansville is $1,010/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $885 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Evansville is $194,790, which is 3.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Indiana has a 3.05% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.