Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Hammond's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Hammond?
Your $100,000 in Hammond has the same purchasing power as $96,572 in the average US city. You'd need $3,428 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Hammond's cost index of 104, sorted by closest match.
Hammond has at least one strong card to play — you'll get your commute time back. Here's the longer version.
The average one-way commute in Hammond is about 25 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Hammond's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is just part of the winter in Hammond. Average temperatures around 22°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Hammond averages roughly 22°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Hammond runs about 82°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 7. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 7 or colder should survive a typical winter in Hammond. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Hammond is at about 587 feet (179 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Higher than average. Hammond reports about 4,074 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the US average of around 3,500. Citywide numbers are often dragged up by a few hotspots; specific neighborhoods can be very safe in cities that don't look great on paper, and vice versa.
Roughly average. Hammond's cost-of-living index is 104, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — Hammond is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 18 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $72,485 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Hammond runs about $1,006/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.