Then you are comparing lifestyles, not locations. You can live car-free with roommates in a rundown apartment in an unsexy neighborhood 60+ public-transit minutes from work in a major world city like Chicago for less than $1k/mo (including rent, food, transit fare, and basic entertainment). Nowhere, Indiana would be even less.

Many, many young people exploit this fact to try and launch careers in un-lucrative fields like arts and academia.

Ah, so cost of living comparisons shouldn't use the same lifestyle in both places, got it.