Indianapolis, IN vs Memphis, TN
Moving from Indianapolis to Memphis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $247,229 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Memphis 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 $97,144 in Memphis, TN (−$2,856).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Memphis, TN: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 4,045 sqft in Memphis ($156 vs $124 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Memphis, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $17,292 | −$1,344 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,715 | −$25 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,130 | −$120 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,608 | −$324 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,200 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $5,158 | −$2,209 |
| Total | $37,525 | $34,103 | −$3,422 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 6.84% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | -0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $247,229 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $124 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,441 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.87% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |