Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Bend vs. Rome Cost of Living Summary
South Bend is 3.4% more expensive than Rome.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.3% less in South Bend
- Groceries
-
pay 15.3% less in South Bend
- Transportation
-
pay 13.1% less in South Bend
- Housing
-
pay 10.8% more in South Bend
- Childcare
-
pay 79.5% more in South Bend
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.8% more in South Bend
- Clothing
-
pay 43.3% less in South Bend
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing in South Bend are more expensive than in Rome. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in South Bend. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in South Bend.
South Bend vs. Rome Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Bend instead of Rome, you would:
pay 17.3% less for restaurants
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€14.93
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
$7.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
€2.13
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.34
€1.14
|
$1.41
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.3% less for groceries
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.21
€1.89
|
$2.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.54
€8.13
|
$5.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
€6.06
|
$3.02
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.62
€3.94
|
$2.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.53
€4.71
|
$4.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.21
€1.03
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
€0.89
|
$0.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.08
€0.92
|
$1.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
€1.22
|
$0.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
€0.72
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.83
|
$0.72
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of groceries
pay 13.1% less for transportation
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.66
€6.53
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$40.88
€34.83
|
$35.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,199.74
€24,878.35
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.86
€16.92
|
$20.70
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of transportation
pay 10.8% more for housing
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$32.12
€27.36
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,436.63
€1,224.02
|
$1,625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$927.65
€790.37
|
$825.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.74
€146.33
|
$93.79
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of housing
pay 79.5% more for childcare
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$568.18
€484.09
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,951.36
€9,330.63
|
$21,000.00
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of childcare
pay 22.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
€4.98
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.01
€1.72
|
$4.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.18
€6.12
|
$6.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$70.65
€60.19
|
$42.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€9.95
|
$14.00
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 43.3% less for clothing
|
Rome
|
South Bend
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$81.76
€69.66
|
$39.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
€32.18
|
$29.99
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.68
€75.56
|
$50.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.80
€99.51
|
$50.00
|
|
Rome vs. South Bend - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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