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Lubbock vs South Bend

Metro-area medians — Lubbock, TX Metro Area vs South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Lubbock comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Lubbock and South Bend are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

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.

Lubbock, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$67,144
real value after local prices
South Bend, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$63,606
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Lubbock leaves you about $3,537/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
Lubbock
South Bend
Livability (CityLedger)
42/100
33/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
91.3
92.9
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$70,599
$68,808
Median household income
$64,469
$63,894
Median rent
$1,207/mo
$1,101/mo
Median home value
$218,900
$216,500
Unemployment
4.4%
6.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.6%
31.1%
Average commute
19.3 min
21.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
23
45
Avg temperature
61°F
49°F

Choose Lubbock for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Unemployment
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Lubbock profile →

Choose South Bend for

  • + Median rent
Full South Bend profile →

Lubbock vs South Bend — frequently asked

Is Lubbock cheaper than South Bend?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Lubbock and South Bend metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Lubbock or South Bend?
Household incomes are similar — $64,469 in the Lubbock metro versus $63,894 in South Bend (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Lubbock or South Bend?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($70,599 versus $68,808).
Which has cheaper rent, Lubbock or South Bend?
South Bend has cheaper rent — a median of $1,101/mo versus $1,207/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).