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CityLedger

Elkhart vs Laredo

Metro-area medians — Elkhart-Goshen, IN Metro Area vs Laredo, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Laredo comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Laredo is about 4% cheaper to live in, while Elkhart households earn about 15% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Elkhart.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Elkhart, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$65,390
real value after local prices
Laredo, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$70,511
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Laredo leaves you about $5,121/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Elkhart
Laredo
Livability (CityLedger)
40/100
37/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
90.3
87.0
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$77,356
$69,667
Median household income
$69,872
$60,580
Median rent
$1,047/mo
$1,056/mo
Median home value
$239,500
$207,100
Unemployment
4.5%
3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
22.1%
23.3%
Average commute
22.8 min
22.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
45
45
Avg temperature
50°F
75°F

Choose Elkhart for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
Full Elkhart profile →

Choose Laredo for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Laredo profile →

Elkhart vs Laredo — frequently asked

Is Elkhart cheaper than Laredo?
Laredo is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Elkhart's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Elkhart or Laredo?
Elkhart has the higher median household income — $69,872 versus $60,580 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 15% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Elkhart or Laredo?
A paycheck stretches further in Elkhart. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $77,356 there versus $69,667 in Laredo.
Which has cheaper rent, Elkhart or Laredo?
Rents are close — $1,047/mo in the Elkhart metro versus $1,056/mo in Laredo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).