Indianapolis, IN vs Portland, ME
Moving from Indianapolis to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $542,063 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Portland 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 $110,253 in Portland, ME (+$10,253).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Portland, ME: 58 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,568 sqft in Portland ($156 vs $319 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Portland, ME | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $27,840 | +$9,204 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,917 | +$177 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $2,775 | −$475 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $3,072 | +$1,140 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,000 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $12,997 | +$5,630 |
| Total | $37,525 | $52,601 | +$15,076 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Portland, ME |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 104.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 3.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.94 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $542,063 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $319 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $2,320 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 12.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 5.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 7.15% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.40% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 28.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 110 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 80 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |