Cost of living in Portage, Indiana

Portage, Indiana has about 38,082 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $224,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Porter County is $1,429 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Portage. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, prices sit at 103.6 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Indiana taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Portage's exact store tax.

Some places in Indiana add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.35% of income. That is not a Portage bill.

In July 2026, a typical Indiana home paid 16.73¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Portage's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Indiana in the table we use.

Among 320 places we list in Indiana with a rent figure, 38 have higher typical rent than Portage.