Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz Cost of Living Summary
South Bend is 38.6% cheaper than Santa Cruz.
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Bend instead of Santa Cruz, you would:
pay 43.1% less for restaurants
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $15.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $15.00 | $7.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.93 | $1.88 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.67 | $1.41 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of restaurants
pay 50.0% less for groceries
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $5.27 | $2.66 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $10.35 | $5.87 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.25 | $3.02 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $6.50 | $2.97 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.75 | $4.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.53 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.00 | $0.60 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.90 | $1.10 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.80 | $0.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $2.04 | $0.95 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.55 | $0.72 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of groceries
pay 11.7% less for transportation
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.79 | $3.16 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.00 | $35.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $23,894.01 | $34,000.00 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $22.70 | $20.70 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of transportation
pay 49.3% less for housing
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $76.17 | $60.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,989.17 | $1,625.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,639.80 | $825.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $244.30 | $93.79 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of housing
pay 54.8% less for childcare
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,738.89 | $950.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $37,770.00 | $21,000.00 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of childcare
pay 19.4% less for entertainment and sports
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.33 | $4.88 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $6.42 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $60.00 | $42.47 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.50 | $14.00 | |
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 42.2% less for clothing
Santa Cruz | South Bend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.00 | $39.33 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $56.00 | $29.99 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $80.00 | $50.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $115.00 | $50.00 | |
Santa Cruz 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: June 2026
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