?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

East Chicago, IN vs Gary, IN

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in East Chicago needs about $89,500 in Gary to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Gary, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $80,500 in East Chicago.

A few differences

East Chicago vs Gary · facet by facet
FacetEast Chicago, INGary, IN
Median home price$105,400$94,700
2-bedroom rent$884/mo$937/mo
Property tax rate0.83%0.83%
State & local income tax4.55%4.55%
Sales tax7%7%
Cost of living index7373
Groceries index9595
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$42,125$38,731
Unemployment rate3.6%3.6%
Crime index45/10045/100
School rating5.8/105.8/10
Sunny days / year190 days190 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: East Chicago, IN · Gary, IN
Questions & answers
Is East Chicago cheaper than Gary?
East Chicago and Gary display the same day-to-day cost index; the differences show up facet by facet in the table above.
What household income in Gary equals $85,000 in East Chicago?
A household earning $85,000 in East Chicago needs about $89,500 in Gary to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Gary lifestyle costs about $80,500 in East Chicago.