Fort Wayne vs South Bend leftover
Moving to South Bend costs you $213 a month
$2,259/mo leftover in South Bend vs $2,472 in Fort Wayne after tax and rent ($213 less). −$2,556 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Fort Wayne leftover
$2,472
a month after tax and rent
South Bend leftover
$2,259
−$213 vs Fort Wayne
Compare Fort Wayne to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Fort Wayne.
Monthly gap
Fort Wayne → South Bend
$213
less / month in Fort Wayne
$2,259 in South Bend · $2,472 in Fort Wayne · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 86 households moved Fort Wayne → South Bend (avg AGI $54,186). 101 went the other way. The whole move →
−$213 / mo
| Per month | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,125 | $6,798 | −$327 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,732 | $1,620 | −$112 |
| Take-home pay | $5,393 | $5,178 | −$216 |
| Rent | $970 | $1,005 | +$35 |
| Getting around | $579 | $542 | −$37 |
| Groceries | $378 | $378 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $426 | $426 | $0 |
| Utilities | $237 | $237 | $0 |
| Everything else | $331 | $331 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,472 | $2,259 | −$213 |
To break even in South Bend, you'd need to earn
$85,500
Household gross, versus $85,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Fort Wayne does now.
The tax difference alone
+$177
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.3% in Fort Wayne, 23.8% in South Bend.
More about South Bend
Fort Wayne, IN in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,155 and 187 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
South Bend, IN in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,196 and 181 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from South Bend on South Bend wages.
South Bend → Fort Wayne →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in South Bend than Fort Wayne?
A one-bedroom is about $970 in Fort Wayne versus $1,005 in South Bend. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $213 a month lower in South Bend. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does South Bend have state income tax?
South Bend is in Indiana, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.50%.
What changes if you move from Fort Wayne to South Bend?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Indiana tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Fort Wayne and South Bend moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.