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Fort Smith, AR vs Indianapolis, IN

Moving from Fort Smith to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($205,554 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.

Fort Smith vs Indianapolis at a glance

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

Fort Smith, AR Indianapolis, IN Cost-of-living index Fort Smith, AR — Cost-of-living index: 85 85 Indianapolis, IN — Cost-of-living index: 95 95 Median home price Fort Smith, AR — Median home price: $206k $206k Indianapolis, IN — Median home price: $296k $296k Price per sqft Fort Smith, AR — Price per sqft: $103 $103 Indianapolis, IN — Price per sqft: $156 $156 Median rent Fort Smith, AR — Median rent: $1,021 $1,021 Indianapolis, IN — Median rent: $1,553 $1,553 Combined sales tax Fort Smith, AR — Combined sales tax: 9.5% 9.5% Indianapolis, IN — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% Property tax rate Fort Smith, AR — Property tax rate: 0.62% 0.62% Indianapolis, IN — Property tax rate: 0.84% 0.84% Violent crime /100k Fort Smith, AR — Violent crime /100k: 640 640 Indianapolis, IN — Violent crime /100k: 360 360 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Smith, AR — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.2 14.2 Indianapolis, IN — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.9 17.9 Avg commute (min) Fort Smith, AR — Avg commute (min): 22 22 Indianapolis, IN — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Avg summer high °F Fort Smith, AR — Avg summer high °F: 93° 93° Indianapolis, IN — Avg summer high °F: 86° 86° Avg winter low °F Fort Smith, AR — Avg winter low °F: 30° 30° Indianapolis, IN — Avg winter low °F: 20° 20°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Smith, AR, you'd need about $110,947 in Indianapolis, IN (+$10,947).

Livability — Fort Smith, AR: 73 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,864 sqft in Fort Smith vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($103 vs $156 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Smith, ARIndianapolis, INDifference
Housing $12,252 $18,636 +$6,384
Groceries $4,657 $4,740 +$83
Transportation $3,405 $3,250 −$155
Utilities $1,524 $1,932 +$408
Insurance $2,800 $1,600 −$1,200
Taxes $8,127 $7,367 −$759
Total $32,764 $37,525 +$4,761

Side by side

MetricFort Smith, ARIndianapolis, IN
Cost-of-living index85.394.7
Unemployment rate5.23%4.28%
Population growth (5-yr)-12.6%6.1%
Air quality (median AQI)4455
Big Mac price (est.)$4.85$5.39
Median home price$205,554$295,921
Home price ÷ income3.9×4.0×
1-yr home appreciation4.6%1.3%
Price per square foot$103$156
Median rent$1,021$1,553
Total tax burden (% income)10.2%9.3%
Combined sales tax9.47%7.00%
Capital gains tax3.90%3.05%
Property tax rate0.62%0.84%
Healthcare (annual)$6,000$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$7,500$12,000
Vehicle property tax1.02%1.20%
Avg commute (min)2225
Home insurance / yr$2,800$1,600
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$1,400
Flood insurance / yr$750$600
Earthquake insurance / yr$350$100
Electricity ¢/kWh14.217.9
Gas $/gal2.953.30
Violent crime /100k640360
Avg summer high °F9386
Avg winter low °F3020
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
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