---
title: "Fort Wayne vs South Bend for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/fort-wayne-vs-south-bend
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 61. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Fort Wayne vs South Bend for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 61. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Fort Wayne if you want** to spend about $9 less a month.

**Pick South Bend if you want** no clear edge over Fort Wayne in the data.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 24 | 24 | Fort Wayne |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 84 | 84 | Fort Wayne |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 7 | 7 | South Bend |
| Climate | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Air quality | 97 | 94 | Fort Wayne |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,777 | $2,786 | Fort Wayne |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 91.9 Mbps | 90 Mbps | Fort Wayne |
| Upload | 22.1 Mbps | 21.6 Mbps | Fort Wayne |

## Visa

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 17 | South Bend |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.4 µg/m³ | 7.8 µg/m³ | Fort Wayne |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Fort Wayne or South Bend?

Fort Wayne is cheaper: about $2,777 per month versus $2,786 for one person.

### Is Fort Wayne or South Bend safer?

Fort Wayne and South Bend score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Fort Wayne or South Bend?

Fort Wayne: a measured median of 91.9 Mbps versus 90 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Fort Wayne](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/fort-wayne) · [South Bend](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/south-bend). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/fort-wayne-vs-south-bend