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Baton Rouge, LA vs Indianapolis, IN

Moving from Baton Rouge to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($248,176 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.

Baton Rouge vs Indianapolis at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Baton Rouge, LA Indianapolis, IN Cost-of-living index Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Indianapolis, IN — Cost-of-living index: 95 95 Median home price Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Indianapolis, IN — Median home price: $296k $296k Price per sqft Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Indianapolis, IN — Price per sqft: $156 $156 Median rent Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Indianapolis, IN — Median rent: $1,553 $1,553 Combined sales tax Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Indianapolis, IN — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% Property tax rate Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Indianapolis, IN — Property tax rate: 0.84% 0.84% Violent crime /100k Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Indianapolis, IN — Violent crime /100k: 360 360 Electricity ¢/kWh Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Indianapolis, IN — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.9 17.9 Avg commute (min) Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Indianapolis, IN — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Avg summer high °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Indianapolis, IN — Avg summer high °F: 86° 86° Avg winter low °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43° Indianapolis, IN — Avg winter low °F: 20° 20°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baton Rouge, LA, you'd need about $103,745 in Indianapolis, IN (+$3,745).

Livability — Baton Rouge, LA: 69 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($124 vs $156 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBaton Rouge, LAIndianapolis, INDifference
Housing $16,716 $18,636 +$1,920
Groceries $4,650 $4,740 +$90
Transportation $4,475 $3,250 −$1,225
Utilities $1,560 $1,932 +$372
Insurance $3,500 $1,600 −$1,900
Taxes $8,854 $7,367 −$1,487
Total $39,755 $37,525 −$2,230

Side by side

MetricBaton Rouge, LAIndianapolis, IN
Cost-of-living index91.294.7
Unemployment rate6.51%4.28%
Population growth (5-yr)5.0%6.1%
Air quality (median AQI)5355
Big Mac price (est.)$5.19$5.39
Median home price$248,176$295,921
Home price ÷ income3.7×4.0×
1-yr home appreciation1.5%1.3%
Price per square foot$124$156
Median rent$1,393$1,553
Total tax burden (% income)9.1%9.3%
Combined sales tax9.56%7.00%
Capital gains tax4.25%3.05%
Property tax rate0.56%0.84%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$8,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax0.10%1.20%
Avg commute (min)2725
Home insurance / yr$3,500$1,600
Auto insurance / yr$2,900$1,400
Flood insurance / yr$1,000$600
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh14.417.9
Gas $/gal2.953.30
Violent crime /100k630360
Avg summer high °F9286
Avg winter low °F4320
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
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