Cost of Living Comparison
The University of Notre Dame is situated in one of America’s most affordable locations: South Bend, Indiana (and Greater Michiana). In fact, a 2019 report from Niche.com ranked South Bend the second lowest cost-of-living in the country for a city with a population of 100,000 or more. The map below presents comparisons of South Bend’s average student cost of living, housing index, and overall index against those of other cities. It also presents the stipends required at other locations to match various levels of stipend offered at Notre Dame.
To compare Notre Dame's student cost-of-living index with another location, select the U.S. city of your choice from the drop-down menu to the right of the map. Statistics for the two cities will display at the bottom of the map.
The Student Cost-of-Living Index published by the Economic Research Institute is weighted towards everyday consumables that students tend to purchase.
The Housing Index published by Sperling’s Best Places breaks out just the cost of housing from the overall cost-of-living index.
The Overall Index published by Sperling’s Best Places represents the total cost of living in each city, relative to the national average of 100.
Potential students can leverage this information to determine the financial offerings required to match a Notre Dame stipend at another location using the following formula:
Required stipend at other location = (ND stipend) × (Index at other location) / (ND index)