Indianapolis, IN vs Hickory, NC
Moving from Indianapolis to Hickory? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $271,739 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Hickory 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 $94,426 in Hickory, NC (−$5,574).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Hickory, NC: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 3,679 sqft in Hickory ($156 vs $136 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Hickory, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $17,952 | −$684 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,840 | +$100 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,130 | −$120 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,752 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,000 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $7,879 | +$512 |
| Total | $37,525 | $37,553 | +$28 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Hickory, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 5.52% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $271,739 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $136 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,496 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.69% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |