Dayton, OH vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Dayton to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,000 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Dayton vs Indianapolis at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Dayton, OH, you'd need about $102,461 in Indianapolis, IN (+$2,461).
Livability — Dayton, OH: 69 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,500 sqft in Dayton vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($200 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dayton, OH | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $18,636 | +$2,436 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,740 | +$34 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,250 | +$225 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,932 | −$168 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,600 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $8,917 | $7,367 | −$1,550 |
| Total | $36,248 | $37,525 | +$1,277 |
Side by side
| Metric | Dayton, OH | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.4 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.28% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $350,000 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.2× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $200 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.68% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |