Midwest ranking
23 Indiana cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 78
Index 104
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terre Haute | 78 | $847/mo | $41,230 | 59K | Compare → |
| 2 | Muncie | 80 | $842/mo | $40,309 | 65K | Compare → |
| 3 | Kokomo | 81 | $856/mo | $53,967 | 60K | Compare → |
| 4 | Elkhart | 83 | $896/mo | $46,534 | 54K | Compare → |
| 5 | Evansville | 84 | $917/mo | $49,853 | 117K | Compare → |
| 6 | Fort Wayne | 86 | $904/mo | $58,233 | 265K | Compare → |
| 7 | South Bend | 87 | $935/mo | $49,056 | 103K | Compare → |
| 8 | Mishawaka | 87 | $979/mo | $51,543 | 51K | Compare → |
| 9 | Jeffersonville | 87 | $1,028/mo | $67,566 | 50K | Compare → |
| 10 | Columbus | 88 | $1,081/mo | $75,114 | 51K | Compare → |
| 11 | Lafayette | 88 | $976/mo | $50,674 | 71K | Compare → |
| 12 | West Lafayette | 88 | $1,056/mo | $30,317 | 45K | Compare → |
| 13 | Anderson | 89 | $873/mo | $44,974 | 55K | Compare → |
| 14 | Bloomington | 92 | $1,112/mo | $46,543 | 79K | Compare → |
| 15 | Indianapolis city (balance) | 93 | $1,046/mo | $59,110 | 882K | Compare → |
| 16 | Lawrence | 93 | $1,064/mo | $70,762 | 49K | Compare → |
| 17 | Greenwood | 93 | $1,200/mo | $75,398 | 64K | Compare → |
| 18 | Noblesville | 93 | $1,202/mo | $99,458 | 70K | Compare → |
| 19 | Westfield | 94 | $1,444/mo | $117,519 | 48K | Compare → |
| 20 | Fishers | 94 | $1,478/mo | $126,548 | 99K | Compare → |
| 21 | Carmel | 94 | $1,499/mo | $132,859 | 99K | Compare → |
| 22 | Gary | 103 | $929/mo | $36,874 | 69K | Compare → |
| 23 | Hammond | 104 | $1,006/mo | $52,368 | 77K | Compare → |
Why do people move to Indiana? The most common reasons line up with what the data and geography support: cheaper than the us average, statewide, there's a genuinely cheap city to fall back on, plus 3 more. The rest is below.
Averaged across the cities we have data for, Indiana's composite cost-of-living index is about 89 — a comfortable 11% under the US norm. The cheapest cities in the state run even further below. Average median rent across Indiana cities runs about $1,051/mo.
The cheapest city in Indiana we have data for is Terre Haute, sitting at a cost-of-living index of 78 — about 22% under the US average. If affordability is the priority, Indiana gives you a real option, not a "well, this town is technically here" caveat.
Indianapolis city (balance) (population about 882,006) gives Indiana a genuine major-city anchor. Big airports, headquartered employers, professional sports, specialty hospitals, and the kind of job market you don't get in mid-sized towns — and you can live close to it or an hour away, depending on the lifestyle you want.
We track 23 Indiana cities with full cost data, ranging from small towns to major metros. That means you can actually pick a fit — urban density vs. small-town quiet, expensive vs. cheap, big-job-market vs. easier-commute — instead of having "the state's one big city" be your only option.
Indiana sits on the Great Lakes — Lake Michigan, Erie, Huron, Superior, or Ontario, depending on which corner of the state you're in. The lakes mean real beaches, real summer water activities, and a moderating effect on inland weather that the rest of the Midwest doesn't get.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Indiana (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Indiana, Terre Haute is the most affordable city we track (cost index 78, with median rent around $847/mo), while Hammond sits at the top of the range with an index of 104—roughly 33% pricier than Terre Haute. Use the table above to compare any Indiana city directly against Terre Haute.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.