City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Bloomington | Columbia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,112/mo | $1,105/mo | 0.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $267,900 | $226,200 | 18.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $46,543 | $54,095 | 14.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 101.3 | 99.0 | 2.4% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 87.6 | 95.8 | 8.5% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 90.4 | 82.8 | 9.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.3 | 96.3 | 6.3% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Bloomington, you'd need $98,965 in Columbia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbia, SC is about 1% cheaper overall than Bloomington, IN, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Bloomington, you'd need about $79,172 in Columbia to keep the same standard of living.