Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend Cost of Living Summary
Santa Cruz is 83.1% more expensive than South Bend.
- Restaurants
- pay 77.7% more in Santa Cruz
- Groceries
- pay 2.1 times more in Santa Cruz
- Transportation
- pay 29.3% more in Santa Cruz
- Housing
- pay 2.2 times more in Santa Cruz
- Childcare
- pay 2.3 times more in Santa Cruz
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 28.4% more in Santa Cruz
- Clothing
- pay 79.1% more in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz vs. South Bend Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Cruz instead of South Bend, you would:
pay 77.7% more for restaurants
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $15.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $7.50 | $15.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.88 | $2.93 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.41 | $2.67 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.1 times more for groceries
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.66 | $5.27 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.87 | $10.35 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.02 | $5.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.97 | $6.50 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.33 | $6.75 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.00 | $3.53 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.60 | $1.00 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.10 | $2.90 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.80 | $2.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.95 | $2.04 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.72 | $1.55 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of groceries
pay 29.3% more for transportation
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.16 | $4.79 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $35.00 | $65.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $34,000.00 | $23,894.01 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $20.70 | $22.70 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2 times more for housing
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $60.00 | $76.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,625.00 | $2,989.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $825.00 | $2,639.80 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $93.79 | $244.30 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $950.00 | $2,738.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $21,000.00 | $37,770.00 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of childcare
pay 28.4% more for entertainment and sports
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.00 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.88 | $5.33 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $6.42 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $42.47 | $60.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.00 | $14.50 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 79.1% more for clothing
South Bend | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $39.33 | $55.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $29.99 | $56.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $50.00 | $80.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $50.00 | $115.00 | |
South Bend vs. Santa Cruz - 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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