Fargo, ND vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Fargo to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $106,187 in Indianapolis, IN (+$6,187).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($193 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $18,636 | +$4,764 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $4,740 | −$110 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,250 | +$120 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $1,932 | +$600 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,600 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $7,367 | −$716 |
| Total | $33,367 | $37,525 | +$4,158 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $70 | $102 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 50.0 | 25.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |