Indianapolis, IN vs Boston, MA
Moving from Indianapolis to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Boston 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 Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $116,633 in Boston, MA (+$16,633).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($156 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $38,532 | +$19,896 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,040 | +$300 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,210 | −$40 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $3,180 | +$1,248 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,800 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $17,694 | +$10,327 |
| Total | $37,525 | $69,455 | +$31,930 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |