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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Indiana is a genuine bargain: 3 of the 3 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Evansville leads at an index of 85 with rent at just $1,010/month — 47% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
| Rank | City | Food & Groceries Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evansville | 83 | 85 | $1,010 | Details |
| 2 | Fort Wayne | 88 | 90 | $1,160 | Details |
| 3 | Indianapolis | 90 | 92 | $1,356 | Details |
#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
Indiana is a genuine bargain: 3 of the 3 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Evansville leads at an index of 85 with rent at just $1,010/month — 47% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Evansville rent up 6% over the past year. And for many people, rent in #1-ranked Evansville has increased from $951 to $1,010/mo over the past 12 months — a 6% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Dive into Evansville's numbers: cost index 85 (27 points below national average), rent $1,010/month, income $52,251, and a home price of $194,790. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 63, while Healthcare runs 88. With 115,332 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
The food & groceries sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 87 (the top-10 average here) means food & groceries costs are about 13% below the national median. Evansville leads at 83, followed by Fort Wayne (88) and Indianapolis (90). Note: a low food & groceries index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Real talk: that's not nothing.
Against the national baseline, though: State context matters: Indiana's 3 cities average a 89 cost index with $1,175/month median rent and $58,513 household income. Solidly affordable Rust Belt living. Cross-reference this ranking with the state salary page. The overlap is telling. Quietly competitive.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
115,332 residents · Indiana
Evansville is one of the cheaper options here. It lines up with what you'd expect. Rent is $1,010/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 85. Income sits at $52,251. Fairly typical for a city this size.
269,994 residents · Indiana
Dive into Fort Wayne's numbers: cost index 90 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — (22 points below national average), rent $1,160/month, income $60,293, and a home price of $238,593. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 74, while Healthcare runs 92. With 269,994 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
879,293 residents · Indiana
The #3 spot goes to Indianapolis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,356/month — saving renters $6,468 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 80, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. A 26% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Evansville ranks #1 in Indiana for this analysis with a cost index of 85 and median income of $52,251.
Evansville, IN has the lowest food & groceries index at 83, compared to the national average of 100.
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.