Living in Valparaiso, IN
Small city in Indiana
Valparaiso is a small city in Indiana, home to about 34,000 people, with 882,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Valparaiso a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $333k and rents for $1,610 a month
- Strong public schools: test results well above the US average
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer graduates: 41% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Valparaiso ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Valparaiso: common questions
What is the cost of living in Valparaiso?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $333k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,610 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Valparaiso?
Indiana collects about $1,275 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.03% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Valparaiso safe?
Valparaiso isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
How are the schools in Valparaiso?
Public schools in Valparaiso test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 19 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Valparaiso?
Valparaiso has cold winters: winter days average around 35°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 40″ of snow a year.
Does Valparaiso get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.03 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Valparaiso?
The nearest major airport is MDW, about 42 mi away.
How Valparaiso scores
Each bar compares Valparaiso with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Valparaiso
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Indiana.
Is Valparaiso right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.