Indianapolis, IN vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Indianapolis to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Phoenix 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 $110,593 in Phoenix, AZ (+$10,593).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($156 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $20,904 | +$2,268 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,919 | +$179 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,960 | +$710 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,668 | −$264 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,800 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $7,280 | −$87 |
| Total | $37,525 | $40,531 | +$3,006 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |