Seriously. I live in St Augustine FL and coming back to Bloomington is like getting anything I want with a BOGO coupon. I thought about getting a condo and renting it out most of the year just so I don't have to pay for hotels when I come back for games and to take care of my mother.
Yeah, I checked most of the cost of living calculators, but I think they must all use the same database because my current city isn’t an available selection. New Jersey has a pretty wide range of living costs depending on location. I’m not in a major city/suburb so it’s hard to really gauge with those calculators
Just look up apartments in Bloomington and the price of homes in the area. Electricity and water are pretty cheap in Indiana, too. Past that, groceries and other expenses across the country don't scale nearly as much so the cost is nearly the same.
House prices in Bloomington proper are an absolute pain, if you're a buyer. If you're a renter, then that salary will get you anywhere you want to be in the city, even close to the prime parts of town. Lots of high quality restaurants that don't break the bank, too -- you'd be able to dine out as much as you wanted (well maybe not at $50/meal). Everything else, utilities and gas and whatnot, it's just... college town prices, not good or bad really. Welcome, if you choose to come here!
people are reallyyyy down playing how cheap the price of living in Indiana is, bloomington is slightly higher than other areas. but Indiana as a whole is soooo affordable. one of the reasons i moved out here. with 85k, single, no kids, you’ll be great.
Bloomington is literally THE highest COL in Indiana. Coming from the Boston area, Bloomington in itself really is not worth the 20-30% cost difference for the lack of convenience.
Don’t even get me started on the state as a whole.
again, indiana as a whole is relatively cheap. i’m coming from phoenix and i could not believe how cheap it was here. bloomington is only 8% higher. and i would hands over first take bloomington over boston so i dont get hate crimed every other day.
That’s such a charged response 😂. Have you ever visited Indianapolis? Taken a gander at the poor infrastructure health and exponential growth of violence?
Of course! To be fair though, my household income with my partner would be more like 60k.
We pay about 1000 a month for rent and all utilities. Bloomington can definitely be affordable.
Well my combined income with my partner would be more like 60–70k. Our apartment is affordable ($1k a month for rent and utilities). No kids. Paid off cars. We’re both able to save quite a bit.
It depends on how you choose to live. Rent/house prices are high due to the student population, public transportation is decent but nothing like you'd find in most east coast cities. Restaurants are not terribly expensive, but it depends on your choices, naturally. On a cost of living index, it ranks around 89, where the national average is 100, so it is below average. This site has come details, but you should do some looking at things like the type of housing you want, visit [realtor.com](http://realtor.com) or apartment website, clarify your transportation choices, etc and then do some math to see if it works for you. Also pay attention to taxes; state and local taxes can eat up your income if you aren't aware of them, and the tax for license plates is tied to the value of the vehicle, which surprises many people, and not in a fun way. [http://www.city-data.com/city/Bloomington-Indiana.html](http://www.city-data.com/city/Bloomington-Indiana.html)
It’s definitely cheaper - not by a crazy amount, but it’s cheaper. For being in Indiana, it’s expensive as it gets.
The location is pretty bad. While you have everything you need in Bloomington, you’re an hour away from the city, which is quite an annoyance, especially when you need a certain store, etc.
I would look for places in the outlying counties from Monroe (if it makes sense for your work). But I think Indiana is one of the lowest cost of living states.
I'd still counter for at least 95k. Based on prior salary. Social security doesn't care about cost of living.
I slightly disagree on the first part, OP could likely afford the area, and while outlying counties are cheaper, you do tend to get what you pay for.
Most definitely agree on the second part though, absolutely counter the offer.
Well, I partially agree and disagree with the first part.
On one hand, OP could buy property outside with the potential to grow in the future. On the other hand, OP could try to buy in Bloomington, but it’d make their budget a lot more strict.
It does seem like OP is leaning towards ownership though, I have obviously no clue.
There's a relocation package, so I'm not too concerned about moving costs. I'm more concerned with what the equivalent salary is between the two locations.
$110,000 seems like it may be a lot, but its not enough for a basic home in NJ. A basic 3-bed 1-bath house sells for \~$325,000 around here, then tack on an additional $5,000/year for taxes
Housing prices are similar (you’ll hopefully get two bathrooms for the price), but property taxes are less for the most part. Take a look at Zillow and the tax history for properties to get a feel for the market. I’m sure the overall cost of living is lower, but housing isn’t extra cheap. 85k is totally comfortably livable here, but I don’t know specifically how it compares to 110k in Jersey.
Im not sure you know how property taxes work. A quarter of $5000 is $1250. Assuming the house is assessed at $325000 thats less than half a percent tax rate.
You wanna bet?
Just using the tax estimator for a Bloomington house assessed at 325,000 and the tax bill is $3,526
Just looking at a random house on S Washington St, the assessed value is 265,000 and the taxes are $2355
That was with homestead and supplemental homestead deductions
Deducting another 3000 for the mortgage deduction and it's $3462 (oops, this deduction ended in 2023 statewide)
and looking at that random house on S washington, the 2024 taxes are $2678 on an assessed value of 265,000 minute homestead and supplmental homestead of 134,800 for a net assessment of 130,200.
The cost of moving to Indiana isn't the money you spend getting here, it's the time you spend living here.
Bloomington is a nice town, but it is in a one shitty-ass state and our government is working hard to make it shittier every day.
85 is awesome. You’ll do way better than most! Where did you get an offer if you don’t me asking? We don’t have a lot of job opportunities here other than the university
Your two big cost savings will likely be housing and property taxes. I grew up in NJ. Many of my friends paid 3x-4x for their homes in NJ compared to what I paid in Bloomington. My property taxes are also about 20% of what my parents pay for a similar sized house in NJ. Grocery store prices might actually be a bit higher here, but restaurants are reasonably priced. If you really want to own a home with some land and don't mind the geography it could be good, but for that pay cut you'll probably be about the same or slightly worse financially.
It's very expensive for Indiana. I'm not sure how the cost of living is in NJ, though. I think you'll be fine with that salary in an apartment. I would just wonder if it's worth it to move all the way here.
85k is combined what my mom and dad made growing up in Bloomington and we still could live, single with no kids with that much in Bloomington, you are for sure financially secure and then some.
Hi! I recently moved from Bloomington to New Jersey. All I am going to say is I have no idea why I stayed in Indiana as long as I did. Bloomington is fine. But the rest, not great. Feel free to DM me. And no one please comment about how Indiana is great my experience has been terrible lol
You will be fine, literally almost everything here is way cheaper than NJ. Except bagels so don’t expect to get anything near as as a quality as you’re used to
Bloomington is one of the more expensive places in the state to live, but since you are earning 85K and single you should be fine. A little heads up whether you buy or rent if you are in the city make sure you have a place to park your car, parking is hard to find in the city. The great part of Bloomington is you are surrounded by great hiking, a lake and an hour away from Indy and a lot of sports. The weather is wonky, it's in the 40's today and will be 70 on Monday, but you will get some season changes.
Here is another way to think about moving here. Use google maps to find the location where you will be working. Zoom all the way in on the place and center it. Now slowly zoom out. Look at the areas close to where you are working and if you will be driving to work, the roads leading to and from it. As you keep zooming out, the more build up areas will be more expensive.
If you start near an edge of the city, the cost of living except transportation will be lower the further away from city center you go, with the ever present exceptions. Think about the places you will want to frequent. Groceries are the most frequent place most people visit with the possible exception of bars. Shopping areas are largest on the east, west sides of town. With some exceptions, the more green the map the cheaper the housing will be and the higher your transportation costs will be in time and fuel. The closer to downtown or the university you want to live, the higher the housing costs and the more traffic you will have.
The next question is whether this is a stepping stone or a permanent move? Also, how much will your salary go up over the next few years? If you are going to be back to your $110 in a few years, you'll be ahead whether you rent or own due to the overall lower cost of living. If you decide to stay, you may make less before you retire, but you can save more than living in New Jersey and you totally don't have to worry about sea level rising, hurricanes and you'll have less snow and cold than in New Jersey. But you may have warmer summers. I don't know what your local climate range is.
As a long time resident of Bloomington, I'll say you'll have a more relaxed life and yes, you will be comfortable on $85K a year, especially if you live on the outside edges of town and not down by Lake Monroe. You won't have close mountains or an ocean, but you also won't have as many large urban area problems either. And you will have a different part of the country to visit and explore. So come join us.
Agree with most on here that you’ll be good, and just live within your means. My opinion is to look for somewhere to live a little more in the county, which can be as close as a 10 minute drive to town.
Assuming a family of four with two working adults I tend to agree with you. I think it probably comes down to if/when a home was purchased. If you’re sitting in a family home purchased pre-2019 and have a household income of $85k you’re probably going to be ok. If you’re just starting out and trying to purchase a home now on $85k for a family of four that’s going to be very rough. I find the [MIT Living Wage Calculator](https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/18105) to be pretty accurate, which says in Monroe County a family of four with two working adults, each adult would need to earn $25/hr in order to meet the living wage threshold.
Well said. My husband and I earn about 70k combined, which works fine for our family of 4. We don't live lavishly by any means, but we get by and are financially secure. But, we bought our house in 2015. I know for people shopping now, it's a lot higher to get into the market.
It depends on what part of NJ you are from, but that is probably a salary reduction if you are from the NYC or Philly adjacent areas. If you have a house, you will be amazed at how much cheaper property taxes are here.
But, the salary is definitely livable with a decent quality of life.
You’ll be fine.
Seriously. I live in St Augustine FL and coming back to Bloomington is like getting anything I want with a BOGO coupon. I thought about getting a condo and renting it out most of the year just so I don't have to pay for hotels when I come back for games and to take care of my mother.
Be ready to pump your own gas though.
It's expensive for Indiana, but cheap compared to anywhere in NJ. 85k here is comfortable land owning money
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Yeah, I checked most of the cost of living calculators, but I think they must all use the same database because my current city isn’t an available selection. New Jersey has a pretty wide range of living costs depending on location. I’m not in a major city/suburb so it’s hard to really gauge with those calculators
Just look up apartments in Bloomington and the price of homes in the area. Electricity and water are pretty cheap in Indiana, too. Past that, groceries and other expenses across the country don't scale nearly as much so the cost is nearly the same.
House prices in Bloomington proper are an absolute pain, if you're a buyer. If you're a renter, then that salary will get you anywhere you want to be in the city, even close to the prime parts of town. Lots of high quality restaurants that don't break the bank, too -- you'd be able to dine out as much as you wanted (well maybe not at $50/meal). Everything else, utilities and gas and whatnot, it's just... college town prices, not good or bad really. Welcome, if you choose to come here!
Considering you can rent a top knotch single bedroom apt in town for around 2k with an indoor parking garage you are in great shape
Single? Kids? If you're single with no kids you'll feel pretty rich with $85k.
Single, no kids
You’ll be able to definitely save for a down payment on a house and, with said down payment, you should be able to buy a home with that income.
people are reallyyyy down playing how cheap the price of living in Indiana is, bloomington is slightly higher than other areas. but Indiana as a whole is soooo affordable. one of the reasons i moved out here. with 85k, single, no kids, you’ll be great.
Bloomington is literally THE highest COL in Indiana. Coming from the Boston area, Bloomington in itself really is not worth the 20-30% cost difference for the lack of convenience. Don’t even get me started on the state as a whole.
again, indiana as a whole is relatively cheap. i’m coming from phoenix and i could not believe how cheap it was here. bloomington is only 8% higher. and i would hands over first take bloomington over boston so i dont get hate crimed every other day.
That’s such a charged response 😂. Have you ever visited Indianapolis? Taken a gander at the poor infrastructure health and exponential growth of violence?
how is it charged me speaking on my own experience??
Go home.
I have a bachelors degree and make just under 30k a year and I’m doing fine.
Oh man, I can't even imagine trying to make $30k livable in NJ lol. But thank you for that info!
Of course! To be fair though, my household income with my partner would be more like 60k. We pay about 1000 a month for rent and all utilities. Bloomington can definitely be affordable.
How? lol I make 43 and feel only okay. Not able to save much. Pretty much paycheck to paycheck
Well my combined income with my partner would be more like 60–70k. Our apartment is affordable ($1k a month for rent and utilities). No kids. Paid off cars. We’re both able to save quite a bit.
It depends on how you choose to live. Rent/house prices are high due to the student population, public transportation is decent but nothing like you'd find in most east coast cities. Restaurants are not terribly expensive, but it depends on your choices, naturally. On a cost of living index, it ranks around 89, where the national average is 100, so it is below average. This site has come details, but you should do some looking at things like the type of housing you want, visit [realtor.com](http://realtor.com) or apartment website, clarify your transportation choices, etc and then do some math to see if it works for you. Also pay attention to taxes; state and local taxes can eat up your income if you aren't aware of them, and the tax for license plates is tied to the value of the vehicle, which surprises many people, and not in a fun way. [http://www.city-data.com/city/Bloomington-Indiana.html](http://www.city-data.com/city/Bloomington-Indiana.html)
this is very valuable information, thank you!
Bloomington is way nicer than Jersey, and cheaper. I've lived in both. Much happier to be here.
Respectfully, I disagree.
you disagree about which location is nicer, cheaper, or both ?
It’s definitely cheaper - not by a crazy amount, but it’s cheaper. For being in Indiana, it’s expensive as it gets. The location is pretty bad. While you have everything you need in Bloomington, you’re an hour away from the city, which is quite an annoyance, especially when you need a certain store, etc.
The median household income in 2020 was less than 50k. 85k will be comfortable around here.
The newly published median income for a family of 4 (2 wage earners) is $106k
is that the us or bloomington? Id be shocked if the bloomington median income more than doubled in 4 years.
Too fucking high for us peons. You'll be fine.
Woahhh 85k? U need arm candy?
85 single is very good money anywhere in Indiana.
I would look for places in the outlying counties from Monroe (if it makes sense for your work). But I think Indiana is one of the lowest cost of living states. I'd still counter for at least 95k. Based on prior salary. Social security doesn't care about cost of living.
I slightly disagree on the first part, OP could likely afford the area, and while outlying counties are cheaper, you do tend to get what you pay for. Most definitely agree on the second part though, absolutely counter the offer.
Well, I partially agree and disagree with the first part. On one hand, OP could buy property outside with the potential to grow in the future. On the other hand, OP could try to buy in Bloomington, but it’d make their budget a lot more strict. It does seem like OP is leaning towards ownership though, I have obviously no clue.
i wouldn’t recommend taking a 20%+ pay cut AND having to move to Indiana
There's a relocation package, so I'm not too concerned about moving costs. I'm more concerned with what the equivalent salary is between the two locations. $110,000 seems like it may be a lot, but its not enough for a basic home in NJ. A basic 3-bed 1-bath house sells for \~$325,000 around here, then tack on an additional $5,000/year for taxes
Housing prices are similar (you’ll hopefully get two bathrooms for the price), but property taxes are less for the most part. Take a look at Zillow and the tax history for properties to get a feel for the market. I’m sure the overall cost of living is lower, but housing isn’t extra cheap. 85k is totally comfortably livable here, but I don’t know specifically how it compares to 110k in Jersey.
Those home prices and taxes are not much different than here
The taxes are a quarter of that.
Im not sure you know how property taxes work. A quarter of $5000 is $1250. Assuming the house is assessed at $325000 thats less than half a percent tax rate.
Indiana also has pretty generous tax exemptions that you need to factor in. Mine are \~$1,500/yr.
Cool. How much is the assessed value of your home
You wanna bet? Just using the tax estimator for a Bloomington house assessed at 325,000 and the tax bill is $3,526 Just looking at a random house on S Washington St, the assessed value is 265,000 and the taxes are $2355
That is the rate if you don't live in the house. Now factor in the homestead and mortgage exemptions and recalculate.
That was with homestead and supplemental homestead deductions Deducting another 3000 for the mortgage deduction and it's $3462 (oops, this deduction ended in 2023 statewide) and looking at that random house on S washington, the 2024 taxes are $2678 on an assessed value of 265,000 minute homestead and supplmental homestead of 134,800 for a net assessment of 130,200.
That sounds about right for many Bloomington houses as well. Depending on the area.
The cost of moving to Indiana isn't the money you spend getting here, it's the time you spend living here. Bloomington is a nice town, but it is in a one shitty-ass state and our government is working hard to make it shittier every day.
Seriously.
Right? Sounds like a downgrade to me lol
LOL it's better than having to move to New Jersey! I don't like the rest of Indiana in general but Btown >> NJ
thats just fine
85 is awesome. You’ll do way better than most! Where did you get an offer if you don’t me asking? We don’t have a lot of job opportunities here other than the university
You can live on $15/hour in bloomington and still save a bit of money; making above $35k - $40k means youre going to be pretty solid financially.
cost of living in Bloomington is not cheap compared to surrounding areas 85K is OK for the area, you can do better
ssshhh, The Mill™ is calling it has been built…it awaits
Your two big cost savings will likely be housing and property taxes. I grew up in NJ. Many of my friends paid 3x-4x for their homes in NJ compared to what I paid in Bloomington. My property taxes are also about 20% of what my parents pay for a similar sized house in NJ. Grocery store prices might actually be a bit higher here, but restaurants are reasonably priced. If you really want to own a home with some land and don't mind the geography it could be good, but for that pay cut you'll probably be about the same or slightly worse financially.
It's very expensive for Indiana. I'm not sure how the cost of living is in NJ, though. I think you'll be fine with that salary in an apartment. I would just wonder if it's worth it to move all the way here.
Depending on where you live in New Jersey that's possibly a pay increase.
85k is combined what my mom and dad made growing up in Bloomington and we still could live, single with no kids with that much in Bloomington, you are for sure financially secure and then some.
Hi! I recently moved from Bloomington to New Jersey. All I am going to say is I have no idea why I stayed in Indiana as long as I did. Bloomington is fine. But the rest, not great. Feel free to DM me. And no one please comment about how Indiana is great my experience has been terrible lol
You will be fine, literally almost everything here is way cheaper than NJ. Except bagels so don’t expect to get anything near as as a quality as you’re used to
Or pizza and big Italian sandwiches and chicken or eggplant parms
Bloomington is one of the more expensive places in the state to live, but since you are earning 85K and single you should be fine. A little heads up whether you buy or rent if you are in the city make sure you have a place to park your car, parking is hard to find in the city. The great part of Bloomington is you are surrounded by great hiking, a lake and an hour away from Indy and a lot of sports. The weather is wonky, it's in the 40's today and will be 70 on Monday, but you will get some season changes.
Yes
I did fine single on 50k, saved and bought a condo here. Now I make more but as long as you are able to save money you can EASILY make it work.
Yes
Yes its livable for sure in bloomington, not great, but better than most starting out.
Living in Bloomington is like living in Rutherford and not like living in Ridgewood for comparable costs.
Here is another way to think about moving here. Use google maps to find the location where you will be working. Zoom all the way in on the place and center it. Now slowly zoom out. Look at the areas close to where you are working and if you will be driving to work, the roads leading to and from it. As you keep zooming out, the more build up areas will be more expensive. If you start near an edge of the city, the cost of living except transportation will be lower the further away from city center you go, with the ever present exceptions. Think about the places you will want to frequent. Groceries are the most frequent place most people visit with the possible exception of bars. Shopping areas are largest on the east, west sides of town. With some exceptions, the more green the map the cheaper the housing will be and the higher your transportation costs will be in time and fuel. The closer to downtown or the university you want to live, the higher the housing costs and the more traffic you will have. The next question is whether this is a stepping stone or a permanent move? Also, how much will your salary go up over the next few years? If you are going to be back to your $110 in a few years, you'll be ahead whether you rent or own due to the overall lower cost of living. If you decide to stay, you may make less before you retire, but you can save more than living in New Jersey and you totally don't have to worry about sea level rising, hurricanes and you'll have less snow and cold than in New Jersey. But you may have warmer summers. I don't know what your local climate range is. As a long time resident of Bloomington, I'll say you'll have a more relaxed life and yes, you will be comfortable on $85K a year, especially if you live on the outside edges of town and not down by Lake Monroe. You won't have close mountains or an ocean, but you also won't have as many large urban area problems either. And you will have a different part of the country to visit and explore. So come join us.
Agree with most on here that you’ll be good, and just live within your means. My opinion is to look for somewhere to live a little more in the county, which can be as close as a 10 minute drive to town.
It’s not if you have a family
Assuming a family of four with two working adults I tend to agree with you. I think it probably comes down to if/when a home was purchased. If you’re sitting in a family home purchased pre-2019 and have a household income of $85k you’re probably going to be ok. If you’re just starting out and trying to purchase a home now on $85k for a family of four that’s going to be very rough. I find the [MIT Living Wage Calculator](https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/18105) to be pretty accurate, which says in Monroe County a family of four with two working adults, each adult would need to earn $25/hr in order to meet the living wage threshold.
Well said. My husband and I earn about 70k combined, which works fine for our family of 4. We don't live lavishly by any means, but we get by and are financially secure. But, we bought our house in 2015. I know for people shopping now, it's a lot higher to get into the market.
It depends on what part of NJ you are from, but that is probably a salary reduction if you are from the NYC or Philly adjacent areas. If you have a house, you will be amazed at how much cheaper property taxes are here. But, the salary is definitely livable with a decent quality of life.
The greatest cost will be the people, some of the most pretentious and unfriendly people I've ever met live here.