South Bend vs Hammond
The short version
- South Bend is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Hammond area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $140,400 in South Bend and $159,900 in Hammond.
- South Bend gets far more snow: 65 inches a year vs 28.
- South Bend is growing faster: -0.2% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in South Bend (20 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| South Bend, IN | Hammond, IN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 103,201 | 75,712 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.2% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 2,463 | 3,329 |
| Median age | 34.8 | 36.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,786 | $55,504 |
| Median home value | $140,400 | $159,900 |
| Home value to income | 2.5× | 2.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,033 | $1,134 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.9 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.6 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,600 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 60% | 62% |
| Top state income tax | 2.95% | 2.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 7% | 7% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.2 | 25.7 |
| Work from home | 11% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Poverty rate | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 17° | 31° / 15° |
| July high / low | 83° / 62° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 65 in | 28 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 16 |
| Nights below freezing | 126 | 126 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 85.8 | 95.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.7% | +4.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.8% | +40.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: South Bend: May to September. Hammond: August to October.
Full monthly tables: South Bend weather by month and Hammond weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,600 in South Bend and $77,700 in Hammond. Moving from South Bend to Hammond, you would need about $83,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between South Bend and Hammond
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from South Bend and Hammond.
Which would you pick?
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