How Much Does It Cost to Live In Fort Wayne, IN?
Fort Wayne is a city in the northeastern part of the American state of Indiana.
Since it’s a mid-sized city, it has all of the amenities that you would expect with three universities (and all of their related sports/art/learning opportunities).
Another great thing about its geographic location is that within 2 to 3 hours of interstate driving, you can be in Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, or Cleveland.
Fort Wayne is frequently named as one of the lowest cost of living areas in the USA.
It has been named an All-American city and a great place to raise a family.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
Fort Wayne is commonly referred to as a city of churches and restaurants which means it offers some great non-chain restaurants that are expensive, as well as those where you can eat for around 10$.
This town has phenomenal restaurants, pubs, diners, breweries, and food trucks.
There are tons of chains as well as a lot of hole-in-the-wall ethnic fare restaurants that are very good.
MARKETS
Going shopping for food will definitely cut your expenses.
Spending around 300$ a month is a reasonable range for groceries for a 2-person household, and if spent wisely could cover all your everyday food expenses.
The best advice is to ask around for shops that are cheaper and then stick to them.
TRANSPORTATION
There is a municipal bus system that can get you around called Citilink, but there is not a lot of public transportation available, generally.
There is only one expressway that goes north and south, and the plus side is there are no tolls.
There are a few taxi companies and medical transport vans to use.
As of right now, there are no passenger trains that stop here.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are expensive in Fort Wayne, though it does depend on the amount of electricity you use and on the size of your apartment.
For example, for a bit larger apartment, of about 85m2, all basic utilities like heating, cooling, electricity, and gas will cost you around 130$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Practicing sports or going to the gym in Fort Wayne is not that expensive.
A gym or a fitness club membership will cost you around 31$, which is rather reasonable while going to the cinema and enjoying some movie time is a bit more expensive.
Prepare to pay somewhere around 11$ per ticket.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Fort Wayne has great shopping opportunities.
Visit Jefferson Pointe on the southwest end of town for the up-scale department stores.
If you’re set on shopping in Fort Wayne, you should get familiar with the prices right away.
Quality jeans will cost you around 34.00$, and you won’t find any good running sneakers without cashing out close to 70$.
RENT PER MONTH
The best thing about Fort Wayne is that the housing market is inexpensive.
Actually, it’s dirt cheap.
You can buy a mansion for far less than what you’d pay in just about any other city.
Apart from this, it is #2 on the top 10 list of cities in the USA with housing shortages as of 2017.
New apartment complexes and developments are built regularly, which is a very good thing!
Cost of Living Averages Table for Fort Wayne, IN
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $15.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $4.50 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.55 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.74 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $2.19 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.49 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $1.50 |
| Monthly Pass | $25.00 |
| Gasoline | $0.92 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $133.88 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.10 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $54.80 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $31.50 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $0.00 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $11.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $34.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $53.00 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $70.44 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $850.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $765.0 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $1900.00 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Fort Wayne, IN?
Food and groceries are the biggest expense of anyone living in Fort Wayne, along with rent.
However, rest assured that rent is definitely a significant financial burden, too.
Utilities are also a big expense for an average person living in Fort Wayne – as this is something that just has to be paid, like it or not.
Other significant expenses for the people of Fort Wayne are restaurants and transportation, while clothing and shoes draw the least amount of money from them.
Average Costs Breakdown
Fort Wayne, IN: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Employment opportunities cover the whole range from high-tech white-collar jobs to numerous blue-collar openings.
Being located in the Midwest, agriculture is also a big part of the area for employment.
Fort Wayne has the lowest cost of living in the country while the wages are reasonably high.
The average monthly salary well surpasses 2500$, while the minimum wage in Fort Wayne amounts to 1500$ which is definitely enough to lead a comfortable life, especially with the low cost of living here and the low prices for everything.
Fort Wayne Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Fort Wayne Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
