SalaryCompareTool

Indianapolis, IN vs Baton Rouge, LA

Moving from Indianapolis to Baton Rouge? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $248,176 median home) and taxes.

Indianapolis vs Baton Rouge at a glance

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

Indianapolis, IN Baton Rouge, LA Cost-of-living index Indianapolis, IN — Cost-of-living index: 95 95 Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Indianapolis, IN — Median home price: $296k $296k Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Price per sqft Indianapolis, IN — Price per sqft: $156 $156 Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Median rent Indianapolis, IN — Median rent: $1,553 $1,553 Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Combined sales tax Indianapolis, IN — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Indianapolis, IN — Property tax rate: 0.84% 0.84% Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Violent crime /100k Indianapolis, IN — Violent crime /100k: 360 360 Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Indianapolis, IN — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.9 17.9 Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Indianapolis, IN — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Indianapolis, IN — Avg summer high °F: 86° 86° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Indianapolis, IN — Avg winter low °F: 20° 20° Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $96,390 in Baton Rouge, LA (−$3,610).

Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Baton Rouge, LA: 69 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge ($156 vs $124 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryIndianapolis, INBaton Rouge, LADifference
Housing $18,636 $16,716 −$1,920
Groceries $4,740 $4,650 −$90
Transportation $3,250 $4,475 +$1,225
Utilities $1,932 $1,560 −$372
Insurance $1,600 $3,500 +$1,900
Taxes $7,367 $8,854 +$1,487
Total $37,525 $39,755 +$2,230

Side by side

MetricIndianapolis, INBaton Rouge, LA
Cost-of-living index94.791.2
Unemployment rate4.28%6.51%
Population growth (5-yr)6.1%5.0%
Air quality (median AQI)5553
Big Mac price (est.)$5.39$5.19
Median home price$295,921$248,176
Home price ÷ income4.0×3.7×
1-yr home appreciation1.3%1.5%
Price per square foot$156$124
Median rent$1,553$1,393
Total tax burden (% income)9.3%9.1%
Combined sales tax7.00%9.56%
Capital gains tax3.05%4.25%
Property tax rate0.84%0.56%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$8,000
Vehicle property tax1.20%0.10%
Avg commute (min)2527
Home insurance / yr$1,600$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,400$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$600$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh17.914.4
Gas $/gal3.302.95
Violent crime /100k360630
Avg summer high °F8692
Avg winter low °F2043
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
Moving to Baton Rouge?
Compare moving company quotes →
Financing a home in Baton Rouge?
See today's mortgage rates →

Ad · affiliate links

Indianapolis details → Baton Rouge details → Reverse: Baton Rouge vs Indianapolis →