Flint, MI vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Flint to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($197,858 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Flint 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 Flint, MI, you'd need about $105,308 in Indianapolis, IN (+$5,308).
Livability — Flint, MI: 70 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,170 sqft in Flint vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($120 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Flint, MI | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,152 | $18,636 | +$5,484 |
| Groceries | $4,703 | $4,740 | +$37 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,250 | −$1,325 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,932 | −$384 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,600 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $8,673 | $7,367 | −$1,306 |
| Total | $34,719 | $37,525 | +$2,806 |
Side by side
| Metric | Flint, MI | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 8.49% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.4% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $197,858 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.4% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $120 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,096 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.47% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |