Indianapolis, IN vs Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
Moving from Indianapolis to Louisville/Jefferson County? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Louisville/Jefferson County 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 $98,460 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (−$1,540).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,500 sqft in Louisville/Jefferson County ($156 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $18,000 | −$636 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,716 | −$24 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,870 | +$620 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,620 | −$312 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,200 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $7,922 | +$555 |
| Total | $37,525 | $38,328 | +$803 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 93.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.82% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.44% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $250 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 15.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 26 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |