Cost of living in Bloomington, IN — Housing, Rent & Index

All states·Indiana·Bloomington·Cost of living

Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.

$315,221
Median home value
$1,455/mo
Median rent
89
Cost index (US=100)
+2.0%
Home YoY change

The median home value in Bloomington, IN is $315,221 as of 2026-04. That places Bloomington below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 89 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Bloomington has moved sideways, and over the past five years it has averaged +4.8% annual growth. The current price sits -0.0% from its 5-year peak in 2026-03.

Renters pay a median of $1,455 per month in Bloomington. Rents have changed +2.0% over the last year and averaged +5.4% per year over five years.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Bloomington are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.

Housing

Median home value$315,221
1-year change+2.0%
5-year price growth+4.8%
10-year price growth+6.5%
vs 5-year peak-0.0%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How Bloomington compares

Cost index89 (below US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)-11.2%
Population79,986
Momentum score66 (Rising)

Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.

Affordability reality

Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Bloomington’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income35% of local median income
Home price-to-income6.2× local median income

At $1,455/mo, rent eats about 35% of the local median household income of $50,465 — above the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 6.2× the local median income (severely stretched — a stretch even for local earners).

Daily life in Bloomington

Climate

85°/64° summer35°/19° winter186 sunny days20″ snow/yr42″ rain/yr

Summers run mild (highs near 85°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 35°F), with about 20″ of snow a year.

Natural-hazard & insurance risk

Flood: moderateTornado: highHurricane: very lowWildfire: very lowEarthquake: low

Insurance heads-up: in Bloomington, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Getting around

The average commute is 19 min — shorter than the US average of ~27 min; 18% of workers are remote; 35% own their home.

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.