Indianapolis, IN vs Kansas City, MO
Moving from Indianapolis to Kansas City? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $329,641 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Kansas City 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 $98,471 in Kansas City, MO (−$1,529).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Kansas City, MO: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,654 sqft in Kansas City ($156 vs $188 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Kansas City, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $18,576 | −$60 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,828 | +$88 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,390 | +$140 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,512 | −$420 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,400 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $10,526 | +$3,159 |
| Total | $37,525 | $41,232 | +$3,707 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.18% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 4.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $329,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $188 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,548 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |