?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Highland, IN vs Merrillville, 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 Highland needs about $83,000 in Merrillville to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Merrillville, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Highland.

A few differences

Highland vs Merrillville · facet by facet
FacetHighland, INMerrillville, IN
Median home price$233,300$211,400
2-bedroom rent$1,310/mo$1,488/mo
Property tax rate0.83%0.83%
State & local income tax4.55%4.55%
Sales tax7%7%
Cost of living index8688
Groceries index9595
Utilities$165/mo$165/mo
Median household income$78,062$67,587
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: Highland, IN · Merrillville, IN
Questions & answers
Is Highland cheaper than Merrillville?
Highland has the lower day-to-day cost index (86 vs 88 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Merrillville equals $85,000 in Highland?
A household earning $85,000 in Highland needs about $83,000 in Merrillville to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Merrillville lifestyle costs about $87,000 in Highland.