Duluth, MN vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Duluth to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,350 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Duluth 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 Duluth, MN, you'd need about $108,567 in Indianapolis, IN (+$8,567).
Livability — Duluth, MN: 68 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,404 sqft in Duluth vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($147 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Duluth, MN | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,572 | $18,636 | +$2,064 |
| Groceries | $4,846 | $4,740 | −$106 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,250 | −$125 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,932 | +$156 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,600 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $14,852 | $7,367 | −$7,485 |
| Total | $43,621 | $37,525 | −$6,096 |
Side by side
| Metric | Duluth, MN | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 87.2 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.4% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.96 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $264,350 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,381 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |