Fort Wayne, Indiana Cost Of Living

A+

14%

Overall NAT. AVG.

5%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

39%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Fort Wayne	Indiana	National
Cost of living	86	88	100
Goods & Services	95	93	100
Groceries	95	94	100
Health care	103	96	100
Housing	61	72	100
Transportation	101	96	100
Utilities	98	104	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Fort Wayne is 3% lower than the Indiana average
The cost of living in Fort Wayne is 14% lower than the national average
Fort Wayne housing is 39% lower than the national average
Indiana general sales tax is 37% higher than the national average
Indiana state income tax is 43% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$65,258	$5,438	$1,523	$1,958
Renters	$32,917	$2,743	$768	$988

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Fort Wayne, IN, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Fort Wayne, the median monthly income is $65,258 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,523 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $32,917, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $768 on monthly rental expenses.

Indiana Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Indiana	7%	7%

Indiana Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Indiana	3.23%	3.23%

Goods & Services

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$22.61	$22.08	2.4%
Beauty Salon	$34.67	$42.88	19.2%
Toothpaste	$2.10	$2.57	18.3%
Shampoo	$0.99	$1.15	14.2%
Movie	$11.27	$11.51	2.0%
Bowling	$16.00	$16.62	3.7%

Groceries

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.00	$4.98	0.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.22	$1.58	23.2%
Milk	$2.46	$2.42	1.8%
Potatoes	$3.13	$3.54	11.4%
Pizza	$11.49	$11.49	0.0%
Beer	$10.17	$10.04	1.2%

Health Care

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$88.55	$117.76	24.8%
Doctor	$140.00	$125.34	11.7%
Dentist	$105.42	$107.52	2.0%
Ibuprofen	$9.51	$10.26	7.3%
Lipitor	$512.54	$459.24	11.6%

Housing

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$121,600.00	$184,700.00	34.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,180.24	$1,697.41	30.5%
Apartment Rent	$777.00	$949.00	18.1%

Transportation

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.70	$3.85	3.8%
Tire Balancing	$63.09	$57.01	10.6%

Utilities

Item	Fort Wayne	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$170.38	$177.27	3.9%
Phone	$191.60	$189.62	1.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Monroeville, IN	1,315	83	17.1%
Churubusco, IN	1,901	85	15.4%
Woodburn, IN	1,390	85	15.3%
Grabill, IN	1,278	85	15.0%
Zanesville, IN	625	85	14.9%
Fort Wayne, IN	268,378	86	14.2%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Chula Vista, CA	268,779	138	38.0%
Irvine, CA	272,694	182	81.9%
St. Petersburg, FL	264,001	97	2.8%
Jersey City, NJ	262,652	125	25.4%
Toledo, OH	275,116	83	16.7%
Fort Wayne, IN	268,378	86	14.2%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.